Pansori explained: the five madang, the gosu and chuimsae
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Pansori is Korea's great storytelling song: one singer, one drummer, a straw mat, a fan, and a story that can run for several hours. It can be dazzling even if you do not understand the words, and much more so once you know how it works.
What pansori is
A pansori performance is a single long narrative sung by a solo singer, the sorikkun (also called a gwangdae in older usage), accompanied only by a drummer. The singer plays every character, the narrator included, moving between three elements:
- Sori: singing
- Aniri: spoken or half-spoken narration
- Neoreumsae or ballim: gesture and movement, often with a folding fan
The form developed among folk entertainers in the southwest of Korea and grew popular with all classes during the later Joseon period.
The five surviving madang
A complete story is called a madang. Tradition speaks of twelve, but only five survive with their full music:
- Chunhyangga: the love story of Chunhyang, a courtesan's daughter, and Yi Mongryong, a nobleman's son, and her refusal to give in to a corrupt magistrate. The best known of all.
- Simcheongga: the devoted daughter Simcheong, who sacrifices herself so that her blind father might see again.
- Heungboga: the kind, poor brother Heungbo and his greedy elder brother Nolbo, with a pair of swallows and some very special gourds.
- Sugungga: the Dragon King of the Sea is ill and needs a rabbit's liver; a turtle is sent to trick a rabbit into coming under the sea. A comic fable full of wit.
- Jeokbyeokga: based on the Battle of Red Cliffs from the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms, told largely from the point of view of ordinary soldiers.
Performing a whole madang can take hours. Concerts often present well-loved excerpts instead, though complete performances are a special event in themselves.
The gosu: the drummer
The drummer, the gosu, sits beside the singer with a barrel drum. A saying often repeated about pansori is "il gosu i myeongchang": first the drummer, second the great singer. The gosu:
- keeps the rhythmic cycles (jangdan), which shift with the mood of the story
- supports and paces the singer through hours of performance
- adds encouraging shouts at the right moments
It is a partnership, not a backing role.
Chuimsae: the audience joins in
Chuimsae are short exclamations shouted by the drummer and the audience: things like "eolsu!", "eolssigu!", "jota!" (good!) and "geureochi!" (that's right!). They are part of the performance, not an interruption. They encourage the singer, mark a well-delivered phrase and draw everyone into the story.
At a pansori concert you are welcome to join in. Listen first to where others call out, usually at the end of a phrase or after a striking passage, and then try one yourself.
The voice
Pansori singing has a deliberately rough, husky tone that is the opposite of a smooth Western classical voice. Singers train for years to develop it, and the result is a voice able to carry raw grief, humour and power. Good singers are judged as much on expression and timing as on technique.
UNESCO and heritage status
UNESCO proclaimed pansori a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003; those masterpieces were later incorporated into its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In Korea it has been protected as national intangible heritage since the 1960s.
How to enjoy your first pansori
- Pick a performance with subtitles or surtitles if you can.
- Read the outline of the story beforehand.
- Watch the fan and the singer's face as much as you listen.
- Notice how the drummer changes rhythm when the mood shifts.
- Try a chuimsae when the room does.
Have you seen pansori live, or do you have a favourite madang or scene? Share it, or ask your questions, in the comments.