A prominent expression of Korea's rich stage arts tradition, Pansori is a genre of musical story-telling performed by a vocalist with drum accompaniment. This popular tradition, characterized by expressive singing, stylized speech, a repertory of narratives and mimetic gesture, embraces both elite and folk culture. During performances lasting up to eight hours, a male or female singer, accompanied by a single barrel drum, improvises on texts that combine rural Korean dialect with erudite literary expressions.
The term pansori is derived from the Korean words pan, meaning “a place where many people gather”, and sori for “song”. Pansori originated in southwest Korea in the seventeenth century, probably as a new expression of the narrative songs of shamans. It remained an oral tradition among the common people until the late nineteenth century, by which time it acquired more sophisticated literary content and enjoyed considerable popularity among the urban elite. The settings, characters and situations that make up the Pansori universe are rooted in the Korea of the Joseon period (1392-1910). Among the themes explored are family loyalty, bereavement and love. Pansori singers undergo long and rigorous training to master the wide range of distinct vocal timbres and to memorize the complex repertories. Many virtuosos have developed personal interpretive styles and are renowned for their particular manner of performing specific episodes.
Risk of disappearance
Threatened by Korea's rapid modernization, Pansori was designated a National Intangible Cultural Property in 1964. This measure spurred generous institutional support, which in turn fostered the revival of this cherished tradition. Pansori continues to provide inspiration for new works in various media such as film, ballet and puppet theatre. These productions, as well as Pansori itself, are performed regularly in Korea and at festivals abroad. Although Pansori remains one of the best-loved genres within the increasingly marginalized sphere of traditional stage arts, it has lost much of its original spontaneous character.
Ironically, this recent evolution results directly from the preservation process itself, for improvisation tends to be stifled by the increasing number of written repertoires. Indeed, nowadays few singers can successfully improvise, and contemporary audiences are less receptive to the impromptu creativity and the archaic language of traditional Pansori.
Action plan
Seasoned performers will establish partnerships with schools and universities with a view to generating interest among young people. The traditional apprenticeship will be systematized and formally recognized, thus allowing students to receive complete training and a university degree. Local and regional centres for Korean traditional music will be created to provide suitable venues for Pansori performances. (2009.2)
