Dongpyeonje pansori in Namwon

By Choe Chong-dae

A special interest in pansori, a distinctive Korean musical storytelling form, led me to travel recently to Namwon, North Jeolla Province, accompanied by board members of the Korean Cultural Heritage Society. Namwon has a long musical tradition of pansori.

Pansori is a distinctive form of narrative Korean folk song, performed by a vocalist accompanied by single percussionist. It is an indigenous form of oral tradition and culture that was not written down.

Distinctive pansori performances were preserved in memory as storytelling with rhythm and repertory only. It is understood that there were 12 pansori works originally but only five remain: “Chunhyang-ga,” “Heungbu-ga,” “Simcheong-ga,” “Sugung-ga,” and “Jeokbyeok-ga.”

While in Namwon, I was fortunate to stay at a cozy guesthouse at Dongpyeonje Village, near Mount Jiri. It is the birthplace of Park Cho-wol (1917-83), a renowned pansori master who played a pioneering role in transmitting modern pansori. Dongpyeonje is also the name of a style of pansori, as is Seopyeonje.

The highlight of our visit to Dongpyeonje Village was a recital of “Chunhyang-ga” performed by the traditional music group of the Korean Cultural Heritage Society. This famous epic tale, set in Namwon, depicts the tortuous love story between Chunhyang, the beautiful daughter of a courtesan entertainer, and Yi Mongryong, the son of a magistrate. It illustrates a wide range of social themes including discrimination and corruption.

The “Chunhyang-ga” performance offered more than extreme emotions and astounding voices. We were entertained by the Korean traditional music performance by musicians of the village. Fittingly, tasty makgeolli, a fermented alcoholic rice drink brewed in Namwon, was served during the performance. An elegant atmosphere in Dongpyeonje Village was created for small audiences to appreciate the unique performance.

Pansori is presumed to have originated in the 16th century during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, in the region of the Seomjin River of the Jeolla provinces, as a new unique way of performing the narrative songs of shamans.

It is generally classified into two main styles: Dongpyeonje (eastern) and Seopyeonje (western). Dongpyeonje originated in the Namwon and Gurye area on the eastern side of the Seomjim River. Seopyeonje pansori originated on the western side of the river around Naju and Haenam. The repertories and tones of the two genres were developed and transmitted differently on both sides the river.

Seopyeonje pansori is gently melodious and decorative, expressing delicate emotions, distinctive rhythms, complex vocal timbres and detailed composition. Dongpyeonje pansori, coming from the east side of the Seomjin River, an area with high and deep mountains, is a strong, powerful and unvarnished musical genre.

Although pansori attracted the middle class and the patronage of the upper class, it was inevitably shared among commoners. The epic songs plumb the depths of Korean collective emotions and grief. The essence of pansori is to enliven our hearts and evoke feelings of joy, anger, sorrow, nostalgia and wistfulness. The songs greatly inspired the lower classes, such as farmers, peasants and laborers. It provided much needed catharsis.

Pansori is an amazing art form bestowed on us by our ancestors. My hope is that it will be appreciated and performed more widely among Koreans in the future. Many beloved intangible cultural assets such as provincial songs, dances, music, traditional arts and skills are close to being lost because of rapid urbanization and industrialization. They represent our precious culture, identity and ingenuity. We should invest in their preservation.

Choe Chong-dae is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at choecd@naver.com