Geumbo (Scores for Geomungo)

The Geumbo is a score for the geomungo (a six-stringed zither) compiled by An Sang in 1572, the fifth year of King Seonjo, and it is the oldest score to survive as a woodblock print. The preface records that An Sang, while serving at the Jangagwon (Bureau of Music) in 1561, regretted that the textbook used to examine court musicians contained no explanation of how to notate melodies or how to use the suldae (plectrum). To remedy this, he had the musician Hong Seon-jong revise the hapjabo (combined tablature notation), the musician Heo Eok-bong compile a jeokbo (notation for the transverse flute), and the musician Yi Du-geum compile a janggubo (drum notation), and on this basis compiled the present score. The contents fall broadly into three parts. The first part, following the author's preface, consists of illustrations and explanations of the geumdo (diagram of the geomungo), the sanhyeong (finger-position diagrams) for the Naksijo-pyeongjo, Ujo-pyeongjo and Pyeongjo-gyemyeonjo modes, together with hand-position diagrams, bakbo (clapper notation), janggubo (drum notation) and playing technique. The second part consists of nine pieces, including Jeongseokga, Hallimbyeolgok, Gamgeuneun and Yeominnak. The third part consists of illustrations of the dangbipa (Tang-style pipa lute) and explanations of its playing and tuning techniques, together with the score for Bipa mandaeyeok. Because it preserves a variety of scores predating the Japanese invasions of 1592–1598, this book, together with the Siyong hyangakbo, is treated as one of the most fundamental scores of the period, and it is valued as the only surviving source that transmits dangbipa music.

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Where it is

Region

Seongbuk-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물