I. Korean Traditional Music

    Korean Traditional Music refers to the music of the Korean peninsula ranging from prehistoric times to the division of Korea into South and North in 1945. It includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditions.^[1] Together, traditional Korean music is referred to as Gugak (in Korean: 국악), which literally means “national music.” Gugak can be roughly divided into two: Jeongak, which is the music of royal family and aristocrats, and Minsogak, the music of peasants. Folk music is an important part of Minsogak.

1. Pitch material

Korean traditional music does not use chromatic scales either seven-note diatonic scales. The most common pitch material is Pyung-jo or Gemyen-jo which is built out of five notes. There are also many folk tunes that are built on only four notes or three notes from  Pyung-jo or Gemyen-jo.^[2] Seya seya is also built only on three notes from Gemyen-jo (the fourth note is the first note an octave higher) which is a perfect melody to play by timpani.

   2. Sigimsae

Sigimsae is the way of ornamenting a pitch in Korean folk songs. It differs depending on instruments, region, and the note itself. The most well-known ones are yo-seong which is vibrating the pitch, and toe-seong, which is dropping the pitch by glissando after playing it.^[3] Seo Yoon used those in her piece by changing and vibrating pitch with pedals on timpani.

    3. Jangdan

Jangdan refers to the rhythmic patterns in Korean Traditional music. There are hundreds of Jangdan depending on the genre of the tune, region, period, and instrument.^[4] Seo Yoon has borrowed several popular jangdan to her piece because the performance of timpani reminded her of Jangu, Korean percussion instrument, which is the most common instrument to play jangdan. Here are some of jangdan that she has borrowed.

Gutgeori (굿거리)   
Gutgeori jangdan is a 12-beat jangdan (12/8), the most commonly played jangdan in Korean Folk music with Semachi jangdan. Gutgeori is heavily related to Gut, Korean shamanism ritual. It is played in various genre like pansori, sanjo, and muak (dance music). For example, Gutgeori is played in folk music like Nuilliliya, Hangangsu-Taryeong, poongnyun-ga. It is played in Gut (Korean shamanism ritual) in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Jeolla regions. It is usually played by piri, haegeum, janggu, and with jing at Jeolla province.^[5]

Semachi (세마치)   
‘Semachi’ means ‘finish at third turn’, and so it is a 3-beats jangdan (9/8). Semachi jangdan is a bit faster than Gutgeori jangdan. Music with Semachi jangdan gives us cheerful and valiant feelings. Semachi jangdan is one of the jangdan played in pansori and nongak (music played during the filed labor). For example, it’s played in Ginbanga-Taryeong, and Jindo-Arirang.^[6]

Jajinmori (자진모리)   
‘Jajinmorie’ means ‘frequently’, so it is a fast jangdan in eight to twelve beats (4/4 or 12/8). Music with Jajinmorie jangdan gives us active and enchanting feelings. Jajinmorie jangdan is usually played in pansori, sanjo, nongak, and Muga, especially in dramatic and urgent parts. We can hear it in pansori such as Chunhyang-ga, Simcheong-ga, Heungbu-ga, and Jeogbyeog-ga.^[7]

Hwimorie (휘모리)
As ‘Hwimorie (휘모리)’ means ‘whirl’, it is the fastest jangdan. This is written either 4/4 or 12/8. This is the fastest jangdan used in Pansori or Sanjo and usually used in a very busy situation. The most famous part which uses this jangdan is the end of pansori Chunhyang-ga.^[8]

  4. Korean Folk songs in Korean Contemporary Music

Korean contemporary music so far can be categorized into three generations. The first generation is the composers in 1950s and 1960s who actively introduced Western music to Korea.^[9] Composers including Kim Sunnam (1917-1986) and Un-Young La (1922-1993), who studied in Japan, are considered to be in this generation.^[10] The second generation is composers who introduced modern music to Korea and reflected Korean identity in their music.^[11] Isang Yun (1917-1995), Byung-Dong Paik (b.1934) and Sukhi Kang (b.1934) who studied in Germany are the composers of the second generation.^[12] In 1981, an informal group of composers Third Generation including Lee, Kang Chunil (b.1944), Yoo Byung-Eun (b.1952), Chung Tae-bong (b.1952), Heo Younghan (b.1946), and Hwang Seongho (b.1955) had launched, claiming that composers of Korea should write music with ‘deep roots’ of Korean music fused with new music.^[13] Thus, composers started to actively blend Korean traditional music with Western music.^[14] Lee’s cycle for various instruments Shirǔm norǔm/시름-놀음 (1980) uses the tune of folksong ‘Onghaeya’. Yoo wrote Han-Repression/ 한(1982) for a small ensemble which is based on the Kyonggi Province folksong ‘Han obaenghyon’, combining Korean pentatonicism within the southwestern mode.^[15]  The Third Generation affected a number of composers to write music that has a Korean identity in musical material and its instrumentation, Baik Dae-woong (b.1943) wrote Bukcheong sajanorreum/북청사자놀음 for Gugak orchestra(Korean traditional orchestra) which is an arrangement of a flute melody taken from the North Korean mask drama under the same name.^[16] Park Bumhoon’s Piri hyopchugok/창부타령 주제에 의한 피리협주곡 is also written for Gugak orchestra and based on a folk song  Chang-bu-taryung.^[17]

II. Sonic Influences

Seya seya is heavily influenced by the sounds of Korean instrument Janggu and Buddhist ritual Cheondojae. The motion of timpani performance reminded the composer of Janggu performance and that is the reason she used jangdan in this piece. Cheondojae is the prayer for the deceased in Korean Buddhism, and since this piece is about lamenting the failed rebellion, Seo Yoon naturally imagined Cheondojae, the lamenting ritual in her religion.

1. Janggu : The Janggu is an hourglass-shaped, two-headed Korean drum. The heads are different sizes and can be tuned using strings that run between the heads. A player plays by striking both heads of the instrument. The movements used in Seo Yoon’s work were inspired by the manner in which Janggu players move.^[18]
2. Cheondojae : Cheondojae is a Buddhist ceremony performed in Korea. It is meant to help in the passing of peoples’ spirits from this world into the next and is designed to bring them peace. The ceremony happens 49 days after a person’s passing and involves food and recitations. It is highly important and marks the end of the mourning period. During the Cheondojae, a monk and people chant the prayer together and when it reaches its climax, a monk plays tiny high-register bells.^[19]

III. Seya seya: its origin and its present

Seo Yoon Kim’s music Seya seya, Elegy for the Failed Rebellion is based on a Korean folk song under the name Seya seya parang seya. Seya has an obvious origin which is a very rare case for folk songs. It was derived after the Donghak Peasant Rebellion (1894) which was suppressed by the Japanese army. After the failure of rebellion and death of the leader Jeon Bong-jun, peasants started to sing the song Seya seya, which begs the Japanese army not to kill their leader Jeon.

1. Jeon Bong-jun and the Donghak Peasant Rebellion

Jeon Bong-jun (1855-1895), the leader of the Donghak Peasant Rebellion, was executed for his role as a leader after the rebellion. Jeon was born in Gobu (present-day Jeongeup), North Jeolla Province, and entered the Donghak movement in 1890 at the age of thirty-five.^[20] Donghak, which can be translated as an Eastern Learning, was the contrary movement to the Seohak (western movement, which was the Korean word for Christianity) in the late 19th century, Korea. Donghak claimed that every person is the sky (every person is equal to each other; 인내천 [人乃天]), thus enabling peasants to uprise against the exploitation of the government and the interference of Japanese force in Korea. Donghak evolved into a religion known today as Cheondoism in Korea.^[21]

History tells that the death of his father was the reason for Jeon to get involved in a Donghak movement. His father Jeon Chang-hyeok, while serving as the superintendent at the Gobu province, protested against the tyranny of Magistrate Jo Bycong-gap.^[22] He received the punishment of severe nogging and died after a month. Jeon Bong-jun, angered by the death of his father, joined the Donghak movement, calling for the purge of corrupt officials and revenge for his father. Jeon emerged as the leader of the movement four years after he was involved.  The movement grew into the rebellion, which was joined by over a hundred thousand men, overpowering the Korean government military.^[23] But the king Gojong asked for help to Japanese force to suppress the rebellion, and Jeon was defeated at the Ugeumchi battle because his army could not stand the guns and the well-trained Japanese army. Jeon fled to the village of Geumseok in Sunchang, but a former Donghak member betrayed him and informed the authorities of Jeon’s hideout which led to Jeon’s arrest and execution.^[24] After his death, peasants began to sing the song lamenting his death.

새야새야 파랑새야    Bird, oh bird, blue bird,

녹두밭에 앉지마라     Don’t sit on the mung bean flower

녹두꽃이 떨어지면    If the mung bean flower falls off,

청포장수 울고간다     A mung bean jelly maker cries away.

(translated by Seo Yoon Kim)

Jeon Bong-jun was referred to as Nokdujanggun (Mung Bean General) because of his short height like a mung bean, and the mung bean flowers that appear in the lyrics of the song is believed to refer to Jeon.^[25] Mung bean jelly was the favorite food of peasants so mung bean jelly maker refers to peasants. Blue bird refers to Japanese army because they were wearing blue military uniforms at that time. So, in the lyrics, we can see how people are begging the blue bird (Japanese force) to stay away from the mung bean flower(Jeon Bong-Jun) to not let the jelly maker (peasants) cry.

   2. Seya seya in contemporary Korean culture

Seya seya is a very popular folk tune in Korea and everybody knows this song. It is included in Music textbooks so children learn it at school. It has been remade and sang countless times by singers including Mina Jeoung (정민아), a singer-songwriter and kayagum performer, Lim Hyung-Joo (임형주), an operatic pop tenor, and soprano Sumi Jo. Donghak Peasant Rebellion is also made as a TV series and movies numerous times. Most recently, TV series Notdukkot (Mung bean flower) was released and is based on the life story of Jeon Bong-Jun and Donghak Peasant Rebellion.