One day, the Joseon-era poet Yun Seon-do윤선도 visited Daeheungsa대흥사 Temple in southern Korea. It seems he met a sudden summer rain shower there, and he wrote the following poem. 

Apparently, the poet was so moved by the breathtaking scenery that he didn’t want to go back home anymore. Instead, he is said to have reached for his walking stick and a cup of wine. Let’s listen to “Bamboo Forest” while imagining a forest of bamboo trees, serene and fragrant after a summer shower. Jang Myeong-seo sings “Bamboo Forest.” 

This week’s artist is Wang San-ak, who created the geomungo in the Goguryeo고구려 era. The following is the passage about Wang San-ak featured in “The History of the Three Kingdoms.”

Although historical records state that Wang San-ak modified a string instrument from China, there is no way to confirm what it had actually looked like. There are no instruments in China today that resemble the geomungo, but wall paintings from the ancient Goguryeo-era tombs show instruments that are similar to the geomungo. Some scholars even assume that Wang San-ak could have modified not a Chinese instrument, but an ancient Goguryeo one. But one thing that is certain is that he wrote roughly 100 geomungo pieces, which illustrates that he was a talented musician even before he created the geomungo. Given the account that a black crane danced to the tune, we can assume that his geomungo music must have been nature-friendly enough to not scare away birds. Wang San-ak was a man who not only worked hard for the government but also knew what high entertainment was. He appears to have been what ancient people had thought of as a fine gentleman. Here is geomungo musician Lee Se-hwan to perform the first and second movements from “Yeongsanhoisang.”

 “Pyongyangga평양가” is one of twelve japga songs that survived to this day. Pyongyang was, above all, known for its beautiful scenery. The city’s various sights were celebrated in poems and paintings under the title “Eight Views of Pyongyang.” During the Joseon Dynasty, Pyongyang was also a key stop for diplomatic missions traveling between Korea and China. These envoys were usually influential figures in their own countries, so for an official governing Pyongyang, it was a golden opportunity to build powerful personal connections. 

And since entertaining guests was an important part of life there, Pyongyang was also known for its many talented ‘gisaeng기생,’ female entertainers skilled in music and dance. Gisaeng from Pyongyang were considered the very best.

The song we’ll hear today, "Pyongyangga", may sound like it describes the scenic beauty of Pyongyang. But when you listen to the lyrics, you’ll find that it’s actually a love song about a Pyongyang gisaeng named Wolseon월선. Let’s listen to Kang Hyo-joo singing “Pyongyangga.”