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Hwang Byung-ki, 72, has soft, smooth hands -- in contrast to the callus-ridden palms most would expect of Korea¡¯s foremost exponent of the gayageum traditional string instrument. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt at all to play, because I have been doing it all my life,¡± said Hwang.
Born the only son of a family in Gahoe-dong, central Seoul, Hwang fell in love with the sound of gayageum in a traditional dance institute near his school as a middle-school student in Busan in 1951, during the Korean War.
However, he never considered becoming a professional gayageum player, instead majoring in law at university. ¡°People often ask me why, but I didn¡¯t have much choice; not a single university taught Korean traditional music as a major at the time,¡± said Hwang.
In 1959, the year Hwang graduated from the law department of Seoul National University, his alma mater introduced a department of Korean traditional music. Hanyang University and Ewha Women¡¯s University followed suit in 1972 and 1974, respectively. Hwang was offered a job as a professor of Korean music, which changed the course of his life forever.
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Hwang Byung-ki poses with his wife Han Mal-sook at their home.
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The year 1974 was wonderful for him; the year when he composed his most celebrated piece ¡°Chimhyangmu (Dancing Among Incense).¡± His musical imagination traveled beyond the Chosun Dynasty to the Kingdom of Shilla and beyond. ¡°Following a concert in the United States, I held concerts in Europe, the home of the Western music, traveling from Amsterdam to Paris,¡± recalled Hwang.
On his reputation for improving and popularizing the image of Korean traditional music, Hwang said, ¡°I just did what our ancestors had been doing for 1,500 years. ¡°Critics reviewing my compositions often say I positively helped popularize Korean traditional music. And people tend to think anything popular is good. But then we can ask, ¡®Is Beethoven currently popular?¡¯ The answer is no. But for hundreds of years, Beethoven¡¯s music was most widely listened to. I personally believe people are really looking for something more esoteric,¡± added Hwang.
When asked ¡°Who is Hwang Byung-ki?¡± he replies he¡¯s someone who has strived to surpass his limitations. ¡°Nobel is remembered in world history for developing dynamite, but it was never an ambition of his. He happened upon it by chance while working on something else. Something wonderful happened when he reached beyond his conscious efforts.
¡°True works of art can inspire people, especially when it goes beyond what people know,¡± said Hwang.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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