Hwang Byungki (31 May 1936, in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

– 31 January 2018) was the foremost

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n player of the

gayageum The ''gayageum'' or ''kayagum'' (in Korean 가야금, 伽倻琴 in Chinese characters) is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional K ...

, a 12-string

zither Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat bo ...

with silk strings. He was also a composer and an authority on '' sanjo'', a form of traditional Korean instrumental music. In 1951, he began playing the gayageum at

The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts The National Gugak Center, located in Seoul, South Korea, is the primary institution of learning for Korean traditional music (), including both court music and folk music. It was founded in 1951 through a merger of Korean musical organizati ...

in Seoul, where he studied under the renowned gayageum masters Kim Yeong-yun (김영윤), Kim Yun-deok (김윤덕), and Shim Sang-geon (심상건). In 1959 he graduated from

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

School of Law. In 1962, he began composing concert and film music using traditional Korean instruments. He presented the premiere performance of

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American-Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) and ...

'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 Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In 1990, he led a group of musicians from the South Korea at the Pan-Korean Unification Concert in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. After producing his fifth gayageum album in 2007, Hwang continued 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 was an emeritus professor of Korean music at

Ewha Womans University Ewha Womans University () is a private women's university in Seoul founded in 1886 by Mary F. Scranton under Emperor Gojong. It was the first university founded in South Korea. Currently, Ewha is one of the world's largest female educational ins ...

. Hwang also taught a course entitled ″Introduction to Korean Traditional Music″ at

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...

in Seoul. Hwang served on the government's Cultural Properties Preservation Committee, and in 2000 was appointed to the National Academy of Arts. He was married to writer Han Malsook and their eldest son is mathematician

Jun-Muk Hwang Jun-Muk Hwang (; born 27 October 1963) is a South Korean mathematician, specializing in algebraic geometry and complex differential geometry. Personal life Hwang is the eldest son of ''gayageum'' musician Hwang Byungki and novelist Han Malsook. ...

Discography

Hwang has published a number of albums, among which is a set of five volume albums that are representative of his work: *Vol. 1: Chimhyang-moo (침향무; 沈香舞), literally "Dancing Among

Agarwood Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. This resinous wood is most commonly referred to as "Oud" or "Oudh". It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when ...

Incense" *Vol. 2: The Silk Road (비단길; 絲綢之路) *Vol. 3: The Labyrinth (미궁; 迷宮) *Vol. 4: Spring Snow (춘설; 春雪) *Vol. 5: Darha Nopigom (달하 노피곰), based on the

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

''gayo'' (a type of

Korean poetry Korean poetry is poetry performed or written in the Korean language or by Korean people. Traditional Korean poetry is often sung in performance. Until the 20th century, much of Korean poetry was written in Hanja and later Hangul. History The pe ...

) named ''

Jeongeupsa ''Jeongeupsa'' (, , "The Song of Jeongeup") is the only surviving ''gayo'' () song from the Baekje kingdom. ''Jeongeupsa'' is the oldest song recorded in Hangul, and is thought to be a popular folk song originating sometime after the rule of ...

'' (정읍사 井邑詞)

References

External links

* Website of Hwang Byung

Hwang Byungki discography on discogs

News article about the 5th album, Darha Nopigom
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Byungki 1936 births 2018 deaths Korean traditional musicians Harvard University staff Seoul National University alumni People from Seoul Deaths from pneumonia in South Korea