Master Hwang Byeonggi - Kayagum Sanjo Variation (Filmed in 1966)

Here presented is a Kayagum Sanjo Variation (Korean; 가야금 산조), performed by Master Hwang Byeonggi (Korean; 황병기, 1935 ~ 2018), in 1966. The footage was filmed by Dr. Robert Garfias, professor of Anthropology at the Social Sciences Department of University of California, Irvine (UCI) in Korea, 1966. You can visit his website, (http://aris.ss.uci.edu/rgarfias/) to see lots of other interesting World music recordings and films. I didn't have any rights on these video, so if there is anything wrong with the copyright status, I'll make

Kayagum is a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument with 12 strings. All traditional Kayagum use silk strings, although, since the late 20th century, the silk strings may be replaced with nylon strings. According to the Samguksagi (completed in 1145), "The History of the Three Kingdoms of Korea", the Kayagum is supposed to have been developed around the 6th century in the Gaya confederacy by King Gasil (also known as Haji of Daegaya) after he observed an old Chinese instrument, a guzheng. He then ordered a musician named Wu Ruk to compose music that could be played on the instrument. The gayageum was then further improved by Wu Ruk during the reign of Jinheung in the Silla Dynasty. Kayagum is believed to have evolved in the 19th century with the emergence of sanjo music, literally means scattered melodies, a musical form involving some improvisation. For the sanjo Kayagum, the closer spacing of the strings and shorter length of the instrument enables a musician to play the faster passages required for sanjo. The sanjo Kayagum is now the most wide spread form of Kayagum.

The performer, Master Hwang Byeonggi, is the foremost South Korean player of the Kayagum. Hwang is also a composer and an authority on Korean sanjo. In 1951 he began playing Kayagum at The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul, where he studied under the famous Kayagum masters of his day. In 1959 he graduated from Seoul National University School of Law. In 1962 he began composing concert and film music using traditional Korean instruments. He presented the premiere performance of Alan Hovhaness's Symphony No. 16 in South Korea in 1963. In 1964 he traveled around the world to Europe, the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries, giving gayageum performances in each place. In 1985 he served as visiting professor of Korean Music at Harvard University. Hwang continues to compose innovative Korean music. Ranging in style from the evocation of traditional genres to avant-garde experimentation, a selection of these pieces is available on a series of five albums. He is currently an emeritus professor of Korean music at Ewha Womans University. Hwang also teaches a course entitled "The Introduction to Korean Traditional Music" at Yonsei University in Seoul. Hwang serves on the government's Cultural Properties Preservation Committee, and in 2000 was appointed to the National Academy of Arts.

You can visit Hwang's Website here; (http://www.bkhwang.com/)

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The video is uploaded for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.