Hyo-shin Na
Song of the Beggars
(1998)
Song of the Beggars is based loosely on the melody of Kahk-seo-ree-ta-ryung, a Korean folk song that has been sung for hundreds of years by traveling beggars, following the open-air markets from one village to the next. The melody is simple, the words light-hearted:
You might have thought that I died since last you saw me You’re surprised to see me back so soon Here I come, poom-bah!Singing better than ever, poom-bah! Now I’m without my poor parents, couldn’t I have inherited anything from them besides begging?
It is said that the song is sung well only when one can no longer endure life’s miseries and humiliations.
The piece was commissioned by and written for the Kronos Quartet
Song of the Beggars Published by Lantro Music - Belgium
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