Pansori: Music That Touches the Soul

PhotoCredit: Kukinews

Unless you're Korean or a die hard follower of Korean culture, you've likely never heard of Pansori before. This long-form rhythmic singing is a traditional form of Korean music that has been declared one of Korea's intangible cultural assets by the government. The performances are simple. A female singer and a male drummer take the stage and the singer narrates a long story, playing several characters. The closest western equivalent would be the bards of medieval Europe.

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For those who are unfamiliar with this art form, Pansori may sound very strange – something akin to someone wailing.

While Pansori has always retained some popularity among the general public in Korea, the 1993 movie, Seo Pyon Jae, brought it back into fashion. The movie tells the beautiful yet melancholy story of two adopted children through the lens of Pansori. The main characters Dong-Ho and his sister Song-Hwa grow up under a strict father, under whose tutelage they learn the fine art of Pansori.

However, due to their father's Spartan teaching method, Dong-Ho rebels and leaves. The story goes on with an ending that is neither tragic nor happy. The overall story and music touched the hearts of many Koreans as it portrayed Korea's history of survival based on hope.

The movie was so successful that now it has been made into a musical. The success of the movie and the book on which it was based, raised concerns that expectations for the musical would be too high, but it lived up to the hype. Even earning praise from the director of the movie, Im Kwon-taek.

To give you a glimpse into Pansori, I want to share a video clip from the Seo Pyon Jae musical. While it might sound strange at first, I hope you can feel the beauty and emotion in the song.

Because Pansori is a protected cultural asset in Korea, there are strict rules about what can be called Pansori. These rules limit the themes, story lines and even the movements the singer makes.

A new generation of Pansori singers are pushing the boundaries, replacing older stories with newer ones that have greater resonance with young, urban Koreans. Jaram Lee is at the forefront of this movement and she spoke (in Korean) about her mission at the TEDx Seoul event in 2009. You can see a video of her speaking and performing below. Skip to 10:45 to see the start of her performance.

About the author by Sophie Choi

Born in Korea and raised on three different continents, I have always been enthusiastic to share the uniqueness of Korean culture and design. On top of that, the advanced level of Korean technology makes me proud to call myself Korean and motivates me to spread technology related news to more people around the world. The list of things I like (and like to do) is endless: Facebooking, Cooking, Gummy jellies, Lilies... and it goes on.

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