This study investigates the melodic characteristics of Yeominrak in Soyoungjipseong through a comparative analysis with Yeominrak as transmitted in Sinjeunggeumbo. Yeominrak originated from the Tang-style court music piece Yeominrak-man recorded in Se...
This study investigates the melodic characteristics of Yeominrak in Soyoungjipseong through a comparative analysis with Yeominrak as transmitted in Sinjeunggeumbo. Yeominrak originated from the Tang-style court music piece Yeominrak-man recorded in Sejong sillok akbo and was transmitted in its original ten-section form through Geumhapjabo and Sinjeunggeumbo. From the eighteenth century onward, however, most musical manuscripts present Yeominrak in a reduced seven-section form. In this regard, Soyoungjipseong is of particular significance, as it uniquely preserves the complete ten-section structure while presenting both ujo and pyeongjo versions.
Among these, pyeongjo Yeominrak is exclusively transmitted in Soyoungjipseong and is attributed, according to its annotations, to the seventeenth-century geomungo master Kim Seonggi. This study compares three versions—Yeominrak in Sinjeunggeumbo, pyeongjo Yeominrak in Soyoungjipseong, and ujo Yeominrak in Soyoungjipseong—to examine whether the traditional Yeominrak repertoire was faithfully preserved and to determine whether pyeongjo Yeominrak represents an independent melodic construction rather than a transposition or variation of the existing tradition.
The analysis shows that ujo Yeominrak in Soyoungjipseong closely follows the established Yeominrak lineage, with approximately 95% of its melodies categorized as identical or similar to those in Sinjeunggeumbo. In contrast, pyeongjo Yeominrak displays a significantly higher proportion of dissimilar melodies (39.2%), indicating active melodic composition by Kim Seonggi. Techniques such as ornamental note insertion, open-string usage, and rhythmic subdivision appear prominently in this version. Moreover, dissimilar melodic patterns are systematically placed at structurally important points, including modal transitions, cadential passages, and phrase openings, revealing a composition shaped with attention to both sectional structure and overall musical flow.
From this perspective, pyeongjo Yeominrak in Soyoungjipseong can be regarded as an independent composition reconstructed within the seventeenth-century pungnyubang musical milieu. By clarifying its melodic independence and historical significance, this study provides a foundation for further research on the Yeominrak lineage and the tradition of pungnyubang music.