This paper examines Toegyeh's musical idea in Dosansibigok[陶山十二
曲] that has his songs. To understand his musical idea, the Epilogue and
Eonji[言志], which explains his philosophy on music in Dosansibigok, were
critically examined.
His ideas on music proved as follows. First, songs should be sung easily
by everyone and elegant so as to be expressed as dance. Second, songs
should express an individual humane style. The humane style includes: ①
The love of nature became even a malady, cheonseokgohwang[泉石高膏].
② As he reflected his life in old age, he got to wish the rest of his life
flawless, which shows introspection, humility and beauty of his spirit. ③
As his humane style was expressed by using elegant languages, there are
ordinary and truthful words only but no imprudent or flashy ones in his
writings. His third idea on songs is that songs are for reconciliation and
compromise with things. Fourth, songs must reflect the Zeitgeist.
Toegyeh himself sang mild, gentle and generous[onyusunhu, 溫柔敦厚]
songs, and hoped people would be changed following him. Beyond those
fields of philosophy, literature, politics and education, his walk of life
reached even music, one of popular arts, and this only shows his totality
both on scholarship and personality. Therefore, a study on his art and
especially on musical idea will be a mainspring for finding the universal
purpose as well as our asset for the globalization of Toegyeh Study.