Piri came into being two and a half years after Isang Yun was imprisoned in Seoul. 'Piri' is the name of the traditional Korean oboe, of which at least three kinds exist in different sizes. They were (and are) mainly used in the traditional courtly and aristocratic music of Korea: the shorter 'se-p'iri' in the aristocratic song genres 'kagok' and 'kasa', the larger 'hyang-p'iri' in the court orchestra, and also in shamanistic ceremonies in which the 'p'iri' has a spiritual signi cance. With Piri,...