How an Ancient Instrument Survived Through Change
Even long after the downfall of kingdoms and the disappearance of civilizations, the tradition can be lost. But one work of art can be sufficient to keep alive the spirit of a whole civilization.
The King Gasil of Gaya created the gayageum of Korea more than one thousand five hundred years ago. This happened during the Three Kingdoms period, when the Gaya confederacy thrived in part of the Korean Peninsula. Since that time, Gaya, a state, has been known for its maritime trade and its arts. These arts are quite distinct from those of the Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla.
The gayageum was invented in the century by King Gasil of Gaya. King Gasil wanted to create an instrument that could express the emotions and the identity of his people. He was inspired by an instrument called a zheng, and after that inspiration, he invented the gayageum.
However, King Gasil was not the only important figure in the story of the gayageum. Ureuk, a musician from Gaya, played an essential role in developing the instrument’s musical tradition. According to historical accounts, King Gasil ordered the creation of the instrument, while Ureuk composed music for it. Ureuk is said to have created twelve musical pieces associated with different regions of Gaya. He later brought his musical knowledge to Silla, helping the tradition of the gayageum continue beyond the kingdom where it had first developed. In this way, Ureuk helped transform the gayageum from simply a newly created instrument into a lasting musical tradition.
However, the fate of Gaya itself was tragic. In 532 CE, thirty years after the incorporation of Geumgwan Gaya into Silla, the last of the major Gaya states, Daegaya, fell to Silla. The political identity of Gaya was lost, yet the artistic spirits were preserved and lived on through the sounds of the gayageum.
At first glance, the gayageum may appear simple. It consists of a long wooden body with twelve thin strings stretched across. Compared with many Western instruments that have complex systems, the gayageum seems almost simple. ple. According to the National Gugak Centers Korean Instruments: A Practical Guide, for Composers the gayageum’s musical characteristics are closely connected to the gayageum’s tuning the gayageum’s fingering and the gayageum’s method of performance. These connections help explain why the gayageum’s simple structure can produce a wide range of sounds.
Gayageums used to be made of paulownia wood. Since it’s light but can produce a rich sound, many instrument makers choose this type of wood because it allows sounds and vibrations to travel naturally. The back of the instrument is made from wood, which makes the instrument very durable. When a string is plucked, the vibration goes through the bridge and into the body of the instrument. The National Gugak Center guide says that the gayageum’s structure and its special sounds are key to understanding how the instrument is played and heard.
The gayageum has a very special feature: its movable bridges, called anjok. Each of the twelve strings sits on its anjok. The word anjok comes from a shape that looks like the foot of a goose or a wild goose. These bridges are not fixed in one spot. A performer can slide forwards or backwards along the gayageum, which changes how long each string can vibrate. Because the length and tension of a string decide its pitch, moving it lets the performer tune the gayageum and change the gayageum’s sound.
The way the gayageum makes sound is closely tied to its shape. When a player plucks a string, the string starts to vibrate. The vibration flows through the anjok into the body of the gayageum. The body then resonates, which makes the sound fuller and louder. For example, a piano has fixed notes for each key. The gayageum, by contrast, lets the musician change the pitch and the feel of each note. By pressing the strings with fingers, a performer can create vibrations and add feeling to the gayageum’s sound. The location of the anjok is very important. Moving the anjok changes the length and tension of the strings, which changes the pitch. This gives the performer more control over the gayageum’s sound, rather than having to pick between fixed notes.
Because of this technique, two musicians can perform the same song but produce completely different feelings. The sounds produced by a gayageum can be of sad meaning to some people, yet of high energy to others. The same notes can sound so different from each other played by a gayageum player.
Left hand is particularly important to perform a number of functions in addition to holding down the strings. After a string has been plucked with the right hand, it can be pressed down on to change its tension and thus its pitch.
This allows techniques such as nonghyeon, a characteristic shaking or vibrating of the string. In gayageum sanjo, this technique can become a major part of the musical expression. Instead of hearing a completely straight note, the listener hears a note that seems to move and breathe.
In playing the gayageum, by controlling the left hand to add more pressure and also to vary in movement, different types of ornaments can also be created while playing. This means that the gayageum does not fixate a note. Instead, a note starts somewhere, moves somewhere, and ends somewhere. This makes one reason why the instrument can sound expressive even when only a small number of notes are being played.
The right hand is equally important in creating the character of the sound. Gayageum players traditionally pluck the strings directly with their fingers and nails. Because there is direct contact between the player’s hand and the strings, even a small difference in the way the finger touches or releases a string can change the sound. This direct contact can help create the delicate quality for which the gayageum is known.
The sound of a gayageum is similar to a human voice, conveying feelings of Han, longings and joy of human kind, in harmony with nature. This stringed instrument also represents the culture of balance between humans and nature, called the philosophy of eum-yang (yin and yang). The wooden body comes from trees, the strings historically came from silk, and the sound is created through the interaction between human hands and natural materials.
Gayageum has been utilized for a wide variety of genres and performances, such as court music, chamber music, folk music, solo, accompaniment for vocal, and many other modern compositions. Gagok, a type of vocal music from traditional Korea, has recently been included in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In gagok performances, the twelve-string gayageum can be used as part of the small instrumental ensemble accompanying singers.
The instrument therefore has two very different personalities. In court and chamber music, it can create a delicate and controlled atmosphere. In sanjo, however, it can become much more dramatic. The music begins slowly and gradually becomes faster, moving through rhythmic patterns such as jinyangjo, jungmori, jungjungmori, jajinmori, and hwimori. The increasing speed gives the performance a feeling of building excitement.
Hwang Byungki is one of the biggest figures in Korean traditional music. He was born in 1934 and spent his life extending the scope of the possibilities of the gayageum. Before him, many traditional performances focused mainly on preserving existing compositions. However, he believed that tradition should not remain frozen and that for culture to survive, it must continue to grow.
His famous composition, “Migung” (The Labyrinth), demonstrated this philosophy. The piece instead focused on exploring unusual sounds. As a result, some listeners felt confused by the piece because it did not follow the typical structure of music for the gayageum. However, this was exactly Hwang’s message, showing that an ancient instrument could express modern emotions. Hwang’s approach was important because he did not treat the gayageum as something that had to sound exactly the same forever. He treated it as an instrument that could have a history while still having a future.
Hwang Byungki also changed the way people thought about the role of a traditional musician. Instead of performing music that had already been passed down, he became a composer who created new music for the gayageum. In this way, he helped turn the instrument from something associated mainly with Korea’s past into something that could also represent the present.
The journey of the gayageum did not end with ancient Korea. Over time, it developed into different forms depending on musical styles. One important version is the sanjo gayageum, which was created for faster and more expressive folk performances. Unlike the slower court music traditionally played for royalty, sanjo performances allowed musicians to demonstrate creativity. Modern musicians have also expanded the instrument’s possibilities by creating larger versions, including 18-string, 21-string, and even 25-string gayageums.
Using instruments that could create more complex melodies to play with other Western instruments, these days, the sound of gayageum can be heard not only at traditional performances but also in various forms of music, in films and compositions. Luna Lee has especially played a significant role in introducing the sound of gayageum to global audiences by combining it with modern genres.
Her performances are very different from the music that would have been heard in the Gaya period but they show why the instrument has been able to survive. Someone who has never listened to traditional Korean music can discover the gayageum through a familiar style of music and become curious about where its sound comes from.
The importance of the gayageum extends beyond music. It represents the ability of culture to survive historical difficulties. The Gaya Confederacy existed for only a short period of time, a few hundred years, yet their artistic achievements have had a lasting impact on culture in Korea today.
The gayageum also reflects Korea’s relationship with change. For a time, Korea has gone through many wars, changes in government, and very fast growth. The gayageum has changed over time just to stay alive. The gayageum went from using silk strings to using other materials, and the gayageum moved from royal courts to big stages around the world.
The gayageum tells the story of the Gaya Confederacy. That was a kingdom that is gone now. The Gaya Confederacy left behind a beautiful treasure. The gayageum tells the story of musicians who kept ways alive while finding new ways to play. The gayageum tells the story of how people use art to hold onto memories and show feelings that words cannot say.
It has been more than 1,500 years since Gaya fell, but the sound of the gayageum still travels from one generation to the next. What is important is the ability of creativity to withstand the passing of time. The twelve strings that once belonged to the world of Gaya now belong to a much larger world.
By: Yejun Cho
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