Lee Saengkang (Korean: 이생강; Hanja: 李生剛; also romanized as Yi Saenggang or Lee Saenggang) is a South Korean traditional musician (gugak) and a leading practitioner of daegeum sanjo, an instrumental style of Korean music performed on the daegeum, a large bamboo transverse flute. He is recognized as a holder of National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 45 (Daegeum Sanjo) by the South Korean government.
Biography
Lee Saengkang was born on March 16, 1937, in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan, according to the Korean-language Wikipedia. (Some English-language sources list his birth year as 1936.) His birth name was Lee Gyu-sik (이규식). His father, originally from Ulju County in South Gyeongsang Province, had moved to Japan at age 13, where he met Lee's mother, a Korean resident of Japan. After the liberation of Korea, Lee returned to Korea with his father and settled in the Busu-dong area of Busan.
Musical career
Lee began his musical training at a young age, reportedly starting at age five by learning the danso and piri from his father. Beginning in 1942, he studied under numerous masters, including Lee Su-deok, Ji Yeong-hui, Kim Mun-il, Jeon Yong-seon, Oh Jin-seok, Bang Tae-jin, Lee Chung-seon, Han Il-seop, Im Dong-seon, Han Ju-hwan, and Gang Baek-cheon, learning a range of wind instruments such as the danso, sogeum, tungso, daegeum, piri, taepyeongso, and ssangpiri. From 1947, he studied daegeum sanjo under Han Ju-hwan.
In 1959, he studied the piri under Ji Yeong-hui, a master of Gyeonggi ritual music. In May 1960, he undertook his first European tour. He has since performed over 6,000 times domestically and internationally and has released approximately 400 recordings.
Lee is credited with establishing his own distinctive style, known as the "Lee Saenggang Style Daegeum Sanjo." He also engaged in fusion collaborations with artists such as saxophonist Lee Bong-jo and popular music composer Gil O-kyun. In 1996, he was officially recognized as the holder of National Intangible Heritage Daegeum Sanjo.
Positions and roles
Lee has served in various capacities, including vice chairman of the Korean Gugak Association, chairman of the Jukhyang Daegeum Sanjo Wonhyeong Preservation Society, and lecturer at institutions such as the Gugak Arts School, Seoul Gugak Arts High School, Korea National University of Arts, Chung-Ang University, and Yongin University. He also served as a transmitter of Naju Samhyeon Yukgak (Jeollanam-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 13).
Awards and honors
Lee has received numerous awards throughout his career, including:
- 1958: Special Prize, Jinju Gaecheon Arts Festival (gugak division)
- 1970: TBC Master Award
- 1973: Order of Civil Merit (Mokryeonjang)
- 1984: KBS Gugak Grand Prize
- 1987: KBS Gugak Grand Prize
- 2001: Gugak Grand Prize, Korean Federation of Performing Arts Organizations
- 2002: 19th Korean Gugak Grand Prize
- 2005: Bang Il-young Gugak Grand Prize (Chosun Ilbo)
- 2011: Hanminjok Grand Prize
Works
Lee has published numerous gugak textbooks and released approximately 1,500 works. He is also the author of an autobiography titled Ilheun Sal-ui Piri Buneun Sonyeon ("The Seventy-Year-Old Boy Playing the Piri").
References
- English Wikipedia, "Lee Saengkang"
- Korean Wikipedia, "이생강"
- The Asia Business Daily, "Master of Daegum Sanjo Lee Saenggang to Hold Special Performance in Gangnam on the 27th" (November 2025)
- Heritage Search, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 45, Daegeum Sanjo
