The ''saenghwang'' () is a traditional

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n wind instrument. It is a free reed mouth organ derived from the Chinese '' sheng''. It is related to the Japanese instrument '' shō'', which is also derived from the ''sheng''. The instrument was referred to historically as ''saeng'' () or ''u'' () during the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

period.

History

It is attested to in Korea during the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

period. ''Sheng'' were continually brought to Korea, with the Goryeo court receiving it from the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

in 1116. In 1406, the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 142 ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

gave the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

court a ''sheng''. Under the reign of

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

, the instrument was manufactured in Korea. During the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea, the instrument temporarily ceased to be manufactured in Korea. It continued to be played into the Japanese colonial period, with artists eventually joining the National Gugak Center after the establishment of South Korea. The South Korean government has sponsored some artists who play the instrument.

Description

It is constructed from 17 bamboo pipes, each with a metal free reed, mounted vertically in a windchest. Traditionally the saenghwang's windchest was made out of a dried gourd but it is now more commonly made of metal or wood. The range is from ''hwangjong'' (黃: E♭) to ''cheongnam-ryo'' (湳: C). Excluding the ''ui-gwan'', the 16 coffins produced 12-yul and 4 auditory sounds, but since they began to be used for ''

hyangak ''Hyangak'', literally "indigenous/native music, folks music" is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms of Korea, Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD). It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances o ...

'', they have a wider range. It is the only polyphonic musical instrument among Korean traditional instruments. Usually, 3 notes are produced simultaneously, 2 notes are octave, and 1 note 4 or 5 degrees below. ''

Gisaeng ''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were ...

'' (Korean female entertainers) are often depicted playing ''saenghwang'' in old Korean paintings. In contrast to other Korean traditional instruments, it is not well known today, even in Korea, and very few musicians are able to play it. It is used primarily in chamber music, usually in combination with instruments such as the danso (vertical flute) and ''

yanggeum The ''yanggeum'' () is a traditional Korean string instrument. It is a hammered dulcimer. Unlike other traditional Korean instruments (most of which have silk strings), the ''yanggeum'' has metal strings. It is played by striking the strings with ...

'' (hammered dulcimer).

References

External links

Saenghwang page
(with audio sample)

Free reed aerophones Korean musical instruments {{FreeReed-instrument-stub

History

Description

See also

References

External links