My Grandfather's Legacy

An email today from my sister revealed this website that is a treasure for our family. I never met my grandfather but knew that he was a musical innovator in his native Korea and my mother was his chosen successor.

Sanjo is kayagum instrument only. The other is with singing and playing of the kayagum (also spelled kayageum and gayageum). My grandfather is considered one of the original masters of improvisional kayagum. My mother Susan, was taught all of these songs performed on the website. My nephew will be posting her performance on U-tube. Mom- Susan Shim Hahn is now 88 years old. Her maiden name Shim Tae-jin.
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Robert Garfias
Anthropology
UCI
02.09.07

Korean Sanjo by Shim Sang-gun, an old pre WWII recording

Many years ago, it may have been 1954 or 54, I was an undergraduate in anthropology at San Francisco State. I was interested in learning more about music of just about everywhere in the world. I was able able to obtain from a fellow student, whose name I have now forgotten, two 78rpm records from Korea. One of them was the incredible Sanjo played by the master kayagum player, Shim Sang-gun. Two sides of a 78. I immediately found them incredible. Later I learned who Shim Sang-gun was, one of the great improvisers of the South Korean genre known as Kayagum Sanjo.
While I was in Japan during the year 2003, I discovered in the archives a collection of 78 masters made by Japanese companies in Korean before the end of World War II. Among these I found the original masters of Shim Sang-gun's Kayagum Sanjo, two 3 minute recordings of " chung-jun mori", probably recorded in 1928 and in addition tow further sections, a Chinhyangjo and a Kuktkori, more than likely recorded later in the mid 1930s. These are all treasures, among the last living recordings of performers who still improvised sanjo, The Sanjo style is today played almost exclusively by people who ossified the performances of Sung Gum-yeung.
I am including all of the oldest Shim Sang-gun recordings here. Please note that the Chinhyangjo and Kuktkori sections were recorded later and are tuned at a different pitch than the others, I am attaching a later, perhaps mid1960's recording by the Korean Broadcasting System.
Much to my surprise I discovered in this collection, a number of recordings of Shim Sang-gun singing and accompanying himself on the kayagum in a form of music called Kayagum Pyong Chang. I have included these her as well.

Sanjo

Chinhyangjo

Chung jung mori (1) (1927)

Chung jung mori (2 ) (1927)

kotkori

Kayagum Pyong Chang

1. Mongyuga part one

Part Two

2. Shim, the blind man begs for milk for a baby

part two

3. Golpae Taryon

part two

Ohwawol

Cheongsukryung

Tanga:Shimcheongjeon: Sosang palkyung
part 2

part 3
part 4 

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Here is a cooking lesson video with Grandpa's music as a soundtrack!

Here is a little history of the kayagum.