P’ansori (판소리)is a fundamental aspect of traditional Korean culture. It is sometimes referred to as a “one-man opera”, and has four distinct characteristics: it is musical, it is a solo oral technique, it is dramatic, and it is in verse. The performer, called kwangdae, is joined on stage only by a drummer and alternates between speaking and singing. The “stage” was traditionally a large mat, and the kwangdae used only a fan and his clothing for props. To learn more, see What is P’ansori? (OSUL login required) by Marshall R. Pihl (Chicago Review, 1993)
One of the most popular p’ansori songs is “Song of Ch’unhyang” or Chunhyangga (춘향가). Chunhyangga has several different scenes, ranging from peaceful to sad, from humorous to serious. Chunhyangjeon (춘향전) is the book based on the song.
- OSUL’s copy of Chunhyangga (춘향가) can be accessed here
- OSUL’s copy of Chunhyangjeon (춘향전) can be accessed here (v.1)
Chan E. Park, a professor of Korean language, literature, and performance studies at The Ohio State University, specializes in in p’ansori. You can see a performance by Professor Park here.
Books (in Korean) about p’ansori in OSUL:
- 판소리 음악론 (Pʻansori ŭmangnon) by 김혜정 (Kim, Hye-jŏng) (민속원, 2009)
- 판소리 길라잡이 (Pʻansori killajabi) by 최 동현 (Chʻoe, Tong-hyŏn) (민속원, 2009)
- 한국의 판소리 (Hanʼguk ŭi pʻansori) by 정병욱 (Chŏng, Pyŏng-uk) (집문당, 1996)
Books (in English) about p’ansori in OSUL:
- P’ansori : an indigenous theater of Korea by Woo Ok Kim (1980)
- Voices from the straw mat by Chan E Park (University of Hawai’i, 2003)
- Korean p’ansori singing tradition by Yeonok, Jang (Scarecrow Press, 2013)
Online articles about p’ansori (OSUL login required)
- P’ansori: The Korean Oral Narrative by Marshall R. Pihl (Korean Studies, 1981)
