Gurye Hyangje Julpungnyu refers to a piece of instrumental music depicting the scene of Shakyamuni preaching the Lotus Sutra handed down in Gurye, Jeollanam-do at Vulture Peak, Gijjhakuta Hill. There are two versions of this music, one centered around daepungnyu (wind instruments) and the other around julpungnyu (string instruments). The way julpungnyu is played differs a little between those handed down in Seoul and those handed down in the provinces. The latter are named Hyangje Julpungnyu (julpungnyu of provinces).
Originally, this was a piece of vocal music, but it changed to an instrumental and developed into a voluminous suite by adding other instrumental music pieces. It became a leading concerto in the country toward the late Joseon Period (1392 – 1910). It is presumed that it was divided into daepungnyu and julpungnyu in the mid-Joseon Period. Julpungnyu developed as a quiet piece chiefly played indoors. The separation between julpungnyu played in Seoul and those played in the provinces appears to have been made toward the late Joseon Period.
Instruments used for julpungnyu are geomungo (six-stringed zither), gayageum (twelve-stringed zither), yanggeum (dulcimer), sepiri (bamboo reed flute), daegeum (bamboo flute), danso (vertical notched flute), and janggo (hourglass-shaped drums). As a quiet piece of music played indoors, julpungnyu is centered around string instruments such as geomungo, gayageum, and yanggeum, with wind instruments making as small a sound as possible. The piece takes about 70 minutes to perform.