ABSTRACT

The t’ungso is not a sophisticated instrument, and neither is its repertoire. Kim mainly played short well-known folk songs, often strung together to accompany dancing. When I recorded him, Kim warmed up with two folk songs: a “Farmers’ Song” (Nongbuga) that celebrates a bumper harvest, and Toraji (Bellflower), a standard folk song praising the Korean national flower (both these can be heard on the website accompanying this book). These songs are well known throughout the Korean peninsula, although they are often adapted to reference local places or products: their themes of rural prosperity and contentment suited all political regimes.