Il y a toujours des surprises dans l’écoute de la musique, dans la découverte d’instruments et surtout dans le mélange des genres, des instruments, des cultures, etc.
En voici toute une surprise. Pour les amateurs de Dire Strait et autres :
Dire Straits-Sultans Of Swing Gayageum ver. by Luna
https://youtu.be/KFiyZB5ucgo
Une interprétation d’un classique de Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes-Bette Davis Eyes Gayageum가야금ver. by Luna루나
https://youtu.be/pQ50kP4SriQ
Dans le The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments édité par Laurence Libin, on décrit l’instrument ainsi :
Kayagŭm [gayageum].
Korean half-tube long zither (Kaya: name of an ancient Korean tribal league; gŭm: ‘string instrument’). It is often called kayago. The kayagŭm nowadays occurs in two basic sizes: a large instrument (variously called pŏpkŭm, chŏngak kayagŭm, or p’ungnyu kayagŭm) for court and aristocratic music, about 160 cm long by 30 cm wide; and a smaller instrument (sometimes called sanjo kayagŭm) for folk and virtuoso music, about 142 cm long by 23 cm wide.
The larger instrument is fashioned from a single piece of paulownia wood; it has a gently curving top and is partially hollowed from the bottom. At the lower end stylized ram’s horns are carved out of the board. The 12 strings, of twisted silk or nowadays of nylon, run from pegs under the top end through small holes; over a curved, fixed bridge; across 12 individual movable bridges (‘wild-goose feet’ 6 to 7 cm tall); and across another fixed bridge to looped moorings where reserve string is kept in coils.
The smaller and more recent instrument resembles its predecessor in most ways but is fashioned like the six-string kŏmun’go, the top from paulownia wood and the sides and bottom from chestnut or walnut. The ram’s-horns are only hinted at, and the lower fixed bridge is eliminated. The curvature of the face of the instrument is also more pronounced. The smaller size, greater curvature, and closer string spacing permit more rapid and virtuoso performance.
The kayagŭm is usually tuned pentatonically, and there are various tunings in each repertory. A typical tuning in court music is E♭–F–A♭–B♭–e♭–f–a♭–b♭–c′–e♭–f′–a♭′, with e♭ as tonic; a common tuning for folk music is F–B♭–c–f–g–b♭–c′–d ′–f ′–g′–b♭′–c″, with ƒ as tonic. Retuning is possible during performance by sliding the movable bridges. The treatise Akhak kwebŏm (1493) demonstrates a number of tunings and modes for the kayagŭm and gives some information on a tablature notation system.
The instrument is played with the lower end pointing somewhat away from the seated performer’s left, so that it passes in front of the left knee; the top end is supported on the right knee. The strings are plucked with the fleshy part of the fingers of the right hand (thumb and first three fingers), as well as by an outward flick using the fingernails. Two or three fingers of the left hand press down on the strings a few centimetres to the left of the movable bridges thereby making intermediate pitches available and producing various ornaments, including the wide vibrato characteristic of Korean music. The tone of the kayagŭm is more delicate than that of the kŏmun’go and is considered more feminine.
The history of the kayagŭm can be traced back to the Silla dynasty (57 bce–935 ce). A legend, recounted in the Samguk sagi (‘History of the Three Kingdoms’, 1145), explains that King Kasil of the tribal league Kaya (6th century ce) built the kayagŭm based on instruments from China and commanded the music master U Rūk to compose 12 pieces for the new instrument; U Rūk, because of turbulent times in Kaya, went over to King Chinhūng of Silla (ruled 540–76) and was well received, and his music and the instrument were perpetuated.
A few pottery figures survive from the Silla period that clearly depict a kayagŭm-like instrument, complete with ram’s horns, but the best evidence comes from four early 9th-century examples in excellent condition in the Shosoin (where they are referred to as shiragi-goto, ‘koto from Silla’): These instruments reveal that the modern kayagŭm is strikingly similar to its ancient ancestors.
Nowadays the kayagŭm is perhaps the best-known and favourite of traditional Korean musical instruments. Many court and aristocratic pieces (such as the suite Yöngsan hoesang) call for it, and there are numerous schools of virtuoso solo performance (sanjo). Modern composers also write for the kayagŭm in a variety of styles, one leading composer being Hwang Byungki (b 1936). In recent years there have been experiments with new versions of the instrument, including one pitched an octave lower, and ones with 13, 17, 18, 21, 22, or 25 strings (those with 13 and 21 strings found mainly in North Korea); more strings can be had to custom order. Modern instruments might have nylon-wrapped steel or brass strings, the latter producing a louder sound useful for accompanying dancing. The kayagŭm has been adopted in Mongolia as a native instrument.
Bonne écoute.
Roger Charland
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