National Gugak Center to recreate royal processional music with AI-generated lyrics
A traditional music performance will recreate the pomp and circumstance of the processions of Joseon-era kings as they departed from and returned to their palaces.
The National Gugak Center's Court Music Orchestra is set to stage a performance centered on haengak, or the music traditionally played during royal processions, as well as for governors and foreign envoys during the Joseon era (1392-1910).
Titled 'Haengak and Boheoja: Steps of Heaven and Earth,' the performance will take place March 13-14 at the Yeakdang Hall of the National Gugak Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
The royal processional music of Joseon followed a specific format: chulgungak, the music played when the king left the palace; haengak, the music performed during the procession; hwangungak, the music played upon his return; and yeollyeak, the banquet music performed after his arrival at the palace.
The concert will open with "Yeominrakman" as chulgungak and close with "Yeominrakryeong" as hwangungak, both performed in their traditional arrangements.
Lee Gun-hoy, artistic director of the Court Music Orchestra, said that during the procession, "Chwita" and "Daechwita" -- typically played on wind instruments by marching musicians -- will be performed with additional string instruments, such as the five-stringed hyangbipa and the pear-shaped wolgeum, to heighten the grandeur.
Some dramatic narrative elements have been added as well. The performance will feature a circular stage design symbolizing a royal procession route, while a dancer portraying the king will provide a visual interpretation of the journey.
Among the yeollyeak, the performance will feature "Boheoja," a piece deeply rooted in Taoist philosophy. The title translates to 'one who walks the void' and originates from the Taoist tradition in which sinseon, or celestial beings, pay homage to higher deities. The court song expresses wishes for the king's long life and the nation's prosperity.
Notably, artificial intelligence was employed to reconstruct lost lyrics. The lyrics of the first two sections of Boheoja are still extant, but the third section has survived only as an instrumental piece.
Park Jin-hyung, head of Art Platform YuYeon, led the team in rewriting the lyrics. He explained that OpenAI's ChatGPT and Meta's AI model LLaMA were used to generate the new verses.
The models were trained on 350 hansi poems, poems written in Chinese characters, by Crown Prince Hyomyeong, one of the most prolific hansi poets of the Joseon era, and cross-referenced with over 100 poems by scholars Jeong Yak-yong and Kim Jeong-hui. The newly composed lyrics will be performed by a choir of over 70 court singers in a grand finale.
'This will be a majestic and spectacular performance, with over 100 performers, including our musicians and singers, coming together,' said the artistic director.
This is not the first time the National Gugak Center has turned to AI to reconstruct lost music. Last year, the center used artificial intelligence to restore two lost scores, Chihwapyeong and Chwipunghyeong, from "Bongnaeui," a work composed by King Sejong (1397-1450).
'We see this as an expansion of court music that aligns with the spirit of our time,' Lee said.
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