This essay concerns the history of the gonghu and its spread into Northeast Asia. I paid special attention to the history of the Korean variations and their meanings in the process of musical exchange between Korea and Central Asia.
These procedures a...
This essay concerns the history of the gonghu and its spread into Northeast Asia. I paid special attention to the history of the Korean variations and their meanings in the process of musical exchange between Korea and Central Asia.
These procedures are explained below.
1. The shapes of the gonghu are classified as follows:
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2. The harp-like variation goes back to ancient civilizations. A C-shaped gonghu began to be performed in Mesopotamia and Persia circa 3000 BC, and in Egypt ca 2500 BC. In Mesopotamia and Persia ca 2000 BC, a more advanced L-shaped variation came into use, and with its emergence, the C-shaped type gradually disappeared. The C-type was introduced into Egypt ca 1000 BC, and in India it survived until the Gupta Dynasty, and also in Myanmar which is the only country today that has preserved and performs the Indian C-shaped gonghu.
3. When introduced into China both variations were carried along the Silk Road, and they came to take on regional characteristics. Records state that the shugonghu (vertical gonghu in Chinese) came from Central Asia while the phoenix-head gonghu was brought from India. As a matter of fact, the C-shaped variation is most often seen in the Xingang region which is under the Indian influence. In the Kizil (or Qizil) Caves in particular, there are two variations of this type: one with a phoenix, manifesting the fusion of the Indian and Persian cultures, and a new form called the Qizilian C-shape.
The L-shaped variation that had originated in Persia is prevalent in most regions of China, including Gansu Province. This version emerged in the Northern Wei (北魏) Dynasty and became widespread during the Northern Zhou (北周) era, reaching its heyday during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but then gradually died out. Frequently used along with this form of the gonghu, though not simultaneously, were such instruments as the bipa family, the piri, saenghwang, hoengchui, baeso, and the bakpan. Various types of the gonghu (Chinese for gonghu) were performed either with both hands or with the left hand alone from the Northern Wei era until the kingdom of Sui, but during the Tang era when they were most actively performed, they became fully ambidextrous.
Written materials reveal that the gonghu was introduced into Japan by a musician from the Korean kingdom of Baekje around 809, and was adopted before the twelfth century at the latest. There is an L-shaped variation in the Shosoin (正倉院) in Japan, which affirms the instrument’s Northeast Asian features. In this part of the world, the C-shaped variation reached Korea, but the L-shaped type made it into Japan.
4. In the Korean Peninsula, the gonghu was employed in the music of Goguryeo and Baekje and its influence lasted well into Goryeo. The sections dealing with Goguryeo music in The Book of Sui and The Book of Tang attest to the shugonghu(vertical) and the bongsugonghu(phoenix-head). In addition, most of the Korean and Chinese books that contain information on the music of Baekje, such as Tongjeon and Samguksagi, also refer to the instrument. Goryeodogyeong regards it as part of indigenous music while Goryeosaakji treats it as one of the “new” imported instruments. These records testify that it was in use from the three kingdoms until the dynasty of Goryeo.
A figure of musician in the Sepulcher of Princess Jeonghyo of Balhae which directly inherited Goguryeo’s culture is clear visual evidence of the instrument’s status in the Korean Peninsula. The gonghu portrayed on the bell of Sangweon Temple (established in 725) is in the shape of L and decorated with a phoenix-head, which is a unique form that combines the L-type as illustrated in Goguryeo’s records with the bongsugonghu.
Geondalbasang on a stone pagoda which dates back to the mid-ninth century is an important piece of evidence for the Korean gonghu the image of Geondalba performing an L-shaped variation is an entirely Korean phenomenon.
The introduction of the gonghu and its subsequent acceptance mean more than mere musical exchange between East and West, but rather the birth of a new musical culture given by the absorption of an entirely different culture. In this context, the meaning of the adoption of the gonghu in the Korean Peninsula transcends far beyond the Silk Road.