Contextual Associations

The hyang-p’iri (‘native oboe’) is a Korean double-reed aerophone used in a variety of contexts. A limited number of pieces of hyangak (‘native Korean court music’) that are preserved today by the South Korean government sponsored National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts include the hyang-p’iri in their instrumentation. Especially in the southwest region of South Korea, the hyang-p’iri plays a lead role in the folk sinawi ensemble, which accompanies shamans during rituals. Sinawi has also come to be played by professionals as a form of concert music, and out of this evolved the virtuosic solo sanjo tradition, in which the hyang-p’iri participates to a limited degree. The hyang-p’iri is also played to accompany the masked t'alch'um folk dance genre, at one time performed by villagers during agricultural rituals but now transformed into a dance for stage presentation. The hyang-p’iri is very similar in design to the se-p’iri (‘slender oboe’), another Korean oboe that is utilized in a totally separate set of musical contexts.

Description

The hyang-p’iri is an end-blown cylindrical bore double reed aerophone. It is made from a straight length of thin bamboo that has no natural nodes. Seven anterior fingerholes and one posterior thumbhole (see detail image) are drilled into the pipe. The reed (kaltae) is quite large, approximately a quarter of the length of the instrument's bamboo tube. Much shaving, slicing, shaping, and tying (using copper wire) are necessary to produce the finished reed. Its base is beveled so that it can be inserted into the top end of the pipe.

Player - Instrument Interface and Sound Production

The performer, usually seated on the floor, holds the pipe in front of himself with both hands at about a 45-degree angle so that his fingers can cover all the fingerholes and the thumbhole. The tip of the reed is placed inside the mouth and the lips are pressed firmly on the top and bottom of the reed just above the wire loops. Considerable airstream pressure is needed to sound the instrument, and because of its relatively wider bore the hyang-p’iri has a louder dynamic than the se-p’iri. At its full acoustical length (with all holes covered) the fundamental pitch produced is approximately an A-flat-3; with all holes opened a C-5 (approximately). With manipulation of reed pressure a few further pitches can be sounded to extend the range upwards about a fourth. The nasal timbre and loud volume of this instrument make it suitable for its player to serve as the lead musician in ensembles. Players can produce subtle ornaments, a wide vibrato, and a wide dynamic range, features that allow it to effectively mimic Korean singing style even when no singer is present.

Origins/History/Evolution

Korean p'iri are related to the Chinese guan and the Japanese hichiriki, all of which are thought to have descended from a precursor originating in western China in the early first millennium CE. Reference is made to p'iri being part of a Korean ensemble in residence at the Chinese Sui dynasty (581-618 CE) court, and the first mention of p’iri in Korean sources is from the early 11^th century CE. Some early p’iri had nine fingerholes instead of eight, but in general it would appear the present day p’iri used in South Korea differs little from its antecedents. Perhaps the greatest period of design transformation for the p’iri has been the last half of the 20^th century in North Korea, where different sizes of the instrument have been introduced, as has keywork; these changes do not appear to have caught on in South Korea where a sensibility of cultural preservation is strong.

Bibliographic Citations

Howard, Keith. 1995. Korean Musical Instruments. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.

________. 2002. "Social and Regional Contexts." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 7. East Asia. ed. Robert C. Provine, Yosihiko Tokumaru, and J. Lawrence Witzleben. New York: Routledge, pp. 981-999.

Hwang, Byung-ki. 2002. "Sanjo" In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 7. East Asia. ed. Robert C. Provine, Yosihiko Tokumaru, and J. Lawrence Witzleben. New York: Routledge, pp. 913-917.

Provine, Robert C. 1984. “P’iri.” NGDMI v.3: 120-121.

________. 2002. "Court Music and Chongak." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 7. East Asia. ed. Robert C. Provine, Yosihiko Tokumaru, and J. Lawrence Witzleben. New York: Routledge, pp. 865-870.

Killick, Andrew P.. 2002. "Music and Theater in Korea." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 7. East Asia. ed. Robert C. Provine, Yosihiko Tokumaru, and J. Lawrence Witzleben. New York: Routledge, pp. 941-947.