HWANG Byung-ki

When seeing for the first time the twelve stringed Korean traditional instrument gayageum, some may think it is similar to the Japanese koto. Likewise, a person listening to the gayageum’s traditional musical style of sanjo for the first time may associate it with Indian raga. However, gayageum music and the instrument itself, with twelve bowstrings that elegantly conjure up natural sounds, are representation Korean music and instrument. Now, various performance and composition techniques are constantly being shown, and recently, a custom-fitted 25 string gayageum has been produced. But the gayageum will remain among Korea’s traditional instruments as the first one to come into a mind as being deeply symbolic of Korea’s musical traditions. Thanks to the efforts of gayageum master players, this instrument remains cherished even in a modern age. Among these masters, it is Hwang Byungki who has been made the subject of much reverent discussions. As a composer, performer and educator, HWANG Byung-ki is adored both at home and abroad, especially for transforming and innovating the way the gayageum is played. HWANG Byung-ki has developed unique performance techniques and composition that bestow the instrument with limitless capabilities. Born in Seoul in 1936, he majored in Law, but started performing the gayageum in his early twenties, winning numerous prizes. From the 1960s he started to compose, and has reached the height of his career in the 1970s when he began to receive much acclaim. Still today, it cannot be denied that HWANG Byung-ki continues to be one of traditional Korean music’s greatest exponents. We are able to feel the aesthetic beauty of the gayageum as one of traditional Korean string instruments, when listening to him performing. At the same time we can certainly know more about the traditional style of sanjo to which the gayageum is played. Among his works, whether Silkroad (Bidangil), Chimhyangmu, or Labyrinth (Migung), these three pieces are the best works to listen to at first in order to truly understand the tradition of Korean gayageum performance. HWANG Byung-ki will surely remain as one of the most prominent performers of traditional Korean music in the 21st Century, and certainly a representative musician of Korean world music.