Bak Yeon or Park Yeon (; 20 August 1378 – 23 March 1458) was a government official, scholar, writer, astronomer and musician in the Early Joseon Dynasty period, who was a teacher of

King Sejong 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 ...

and created

Armillary sphere An armillary sphere (variations are known as spherical astrolabe, armilla, or armil) is a model of objects in the sky (on the celestial sphere), consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centered on Earth or the Sun, that represent lines o ...

Honcheonui,

Water clock A water clock, or clepsydra (; ; ), is a timepiece by which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel, and where the amount of liquid can then be measured. Water clocks are some of ...

Borugak Jagyeongnu and

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

Yangbu Ilgu along with

Jang Yeong-sil Jang Yeong-sil (; ; ? – after 1442) was a Korean mechanical engineer, scientist, and inventor during the Joseon dynasty. He was born to a mother who was a government-registered courtesan () and a father of Yuan dynasty descent. Although Jang ...

and five basic sounds(Gung, Sang, Gak, Chi, Wu), which corresponds to five consonant groups (Aeum, Seoreum, Suneum, Chieum, Hueum) in

Hunminjeongeum () is a 15th-century manuscript that introduced the Korean script Hangul. The name of the manuscript was also the original name of the script. King Sejong the Great commissioned the royal research institute Hall of Worthies to write the '' ...

. He has also adapted court music to the new

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

philosophy, particularly in the concept of ''yeak'', a Confucian ideology that combines ritual and music. He made appeals to the king

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

450 times for the necessity of organizing the imperfect musical instrument coordination and compiling the sheet music, and correctly measured the notes according to his own 12 notes. And this has reformed the court music in general. Along with Wangsan of Goguryeo and Ureuk of Silla, Bak Yeon is considered one of the three most popular music saints in Korea.

Biography

Bak Yeon was born into a family of government officials in 1378 in Yeongdong. When he was 15, his father passed away, so he spent three years at the burial site in mourning for his father. When he was 18, his mother passed away, so he spent another three years at his parents' tomb. Bak Yeon receives a memorial stone of the

filial piety Filial piety is the virtue of exhibiting love and respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors, particularly within the context of Confucian ethics, Confucian, Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhist ethics, Buddhist, and Daoism, Daoist ethics. ...

from king

Taejong Taejong (; 16 May 1367 – 10 May 1422), personal name Yi Pangwŏn (), was the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of Sejong the Great. He was the fifth son of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. Before ascending t ...

in 1402. Soon after his father and mother died, Bak Yeon started playing the piri. And one night he saw an

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

growing between rocks and decided to adopt the penname 'Nangye'. He passed Saengwonsi and first in Mungwa

gwageo The () or ''kwagŏ'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) periods of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge ...

exams at the age of 28 and 34. He then has successively filled various government posts including Jiphyeonjeon, Saganwon, Saheonbu and Sejasigangwon Munhak, where he met Chungnyeong daegun. As soon as Sejong ascends the throne in 1418, he appoints Bak Yeon to an agency affiliated with Yejo, which oversees music-related affairs. Bak Yeon organized music into three groups: aak,

dangak ''Dangak'' () is a genre of traditional Korean court music. The name means " Tang music", and the style was first adapted from Tang Dynasty Chinese music during the Unified Silla period in the late first millennium. It was continued through t ...

and

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 ...

. Domestic production of musical instruments for aak was done under his direction. Bak Yeon helped Sejong to improve the music. He has contributed greatly to the completion of music from the early Joseon Dynasty by producing musical notes and

Pyeongyeong The ''bianqing'' (IPA: iːɛnʧɪŋ zh, s=编磬, p=biānqìng i̯ɛn˥ t͡ɕʰiŋ˥˩ is a traditional Chinese percussion instrument consisting of a set of L-shaped flat stone chimes known as ''qing'', played melodically. The chimes were hu ...

. The

Jongmyo jerye ''Jongmyo jerye'' () or ''jongmyo daeje'' () is a traditional rite held for worshipping the deceased Joseon monarchs in Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul, South Korea. It is held every year on the first Sunday of May. The ''jongmyo'' rite is usually acco ...

, which includes Jeongdaeeop and Botaepyeong was composed by Bak Yeon and is also listed in 'Nangyeyugo(蘭溪遺藁)' in 39 petitions, including the production of musical notes, the correction of the original notes, the claim to revise the axis system and the publication of music. However, in the Sejo Sillok, Jeongdaeeop and Botaepyeong is recorded as king Sejong's work. On 22 August 1443, when Pak Yeon was 60 years old, his position was suddenly changed from Yejo chamui(禮曹參議) to Jungchuwon busa(中樞院副使), which oversees the palace in shifts. Soon after, the king

announces the creation of

on 30 December 1443. Some scholars argue Bak Yeon, who is well versed in rhymes such as Yullyeo Sinseo(律呂新書), Hongmu Jeong-un(洪武正韻), fully understands Sasung Chil-eum(四聲七音) and appealed to king

in his first petition of Nangyeyugo(蘭溪遺藁) to correct the custom and sound by teaching people the Samganghaengsil(三綱行實) and Oeumjeongseong(五音正聲), might have taught king Sejong the Korean alphabet

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

during this period and proclaimed it in the name of king Sejong. As soon as Bak yeon ascends to Yemun Daejehak in 1453, Gyeyujeongnan Revolts broke out. Bak Gye-woo, the third son of Bak Yeon, a

Hall of Worthies The Hall of Worthies, or Jiphyeonjeon (; ), was a Korean royal research institute during the Joseon period. It was founded by King Sejong the Great in the 3rd month of 1420, and dissolved in the 6th month of 1456. The Hall of Worthies is known f ...

scholar, was killed by a group of

king Sejo Sejo (; 7 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu (), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang (), was the seventh monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Sejong the Great and the uncle of King Danj ...

along with other numerous loyalists for leaking Grand Prince Suyang's

plan A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an Goal, objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a modal logic, temporal set (mathematics), set of intended actions through wh ...

. And Bak Yeon was put into an exile at the age of 80 and died the following year. His descendants were prohibited from taking

exams for 331 years until

king Yeongjo Yeongjo (; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong by his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan. Before asc ...

awarded him an honorable title of Mun Heon in 1767.

Family

*Great-Grandfather **Bak Sun-jung () *Grandfather **Bak Si-yong () *Father **Bak Cheon-seok () *Mother **Lady Gim of the Gyeongju Gim clan () ***Grandfather: Gim Oh () * Siblings ** Sister - Lady Bak of the Miryang Bak clan () *** Brother-in-law - Geum Yu (琴柔) ** Sister - Lady Bak of the Miryang Bak clan () *** Brother-in-law - Jeong Gan (鄭諫) ** Sister - Lady Bak of the Miryang Park clan () *** Brother-in-law - Bak Yeo-saeng (朴汝生) ** Sister - Lady Bak of the Miryang Park clan () *** Brother-in-law - Gim Bo-rin (金寶麟)) *Wife: Lady Song of the

Yeosan Song clan Yeosan Song clan () is one of the oldest Korean clans. Their Bon-gwan was in Yeosan, present day Iksan, North Jeolla Province. According to the research in 2015, the number of Yeosan Song clan was 298, 231. Their founder was Song Yu-ik (송유익 ...

() – Daughter of ''Panseo'' Song Yun () and the 2nd cousin of

. ** Son: Bak Maeng-woo () ** Son: Bak Jung-woo () ** Son: Bak Gye-woo () ** Daughter: Lady Bak of the Miryang Bak clan () ** Daughter: Lady Bak of the Miryang Bak clan () **Daughter: Lady Bak of the Miryang Bak clan () ** Daughter: Lady Bak of the Miryang Bak clan ()

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Ahn Hyo-seop Ahn Hyo-seop (; born April 17, 1995) is a Canadian actor and singer based in South Korea. He gained recognition for his performances in television dramas such as '' Still 17'' (2018), ''Dr. Romantic 2'' (2020), '' Lovers of the Red Sky'' (2021) ...

in the 2015 MBC TV series ''

Splash Splash Love ''Splash Splash Love'' () is a South Korean television series starring Kim Seul-gi and Yoon Doo-joon. It initially aired on web platform Naver TV Cast in a 10-episode format. It was then broadcast by MBC on December 13 and 20, 2015 in two 60-mi ...

''. * Portrayed by Lee Geon-Myeong in the 2016

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series ''

'' * Yeo-Nak, the musical dedicated to Bak Yeon

Legacy

* The Nangye Temple in Yeongdong is named after Bak Yeon and hosts a traditional music celebration every October * Nangye yugo, a posthumous collection of Bak Yeon. * In the Nangye Museum of Traditional Music, Bak Yeon's life and achievements are displayed in the Video Room and the Nangye Room. The Korean Music room displays wind instruments, strings, and percussion. * Miryang Bak clan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bak, Yeon Traditional musicians Korean astronomers 15th-century astronomers 15th-century Korean scientists 1378 births 1458 deaths People from Yeongdong County People from North Chungcheong Province 15th-century Korean writers