Korean Movies: Seopyeonje

I'm working on my article again. That means more reading, and occasionally going back to my article to capture a fleeting thought before it escapes. I was reading a not-so-exciting article and all of a sudden the final track on the soundtrack for the movie 서편제 (NGR: Seopyeonje but you'd better look for "Sopyonje") came up on the itunes rotation. The music is so profoundly moving (especially combined with my memory of the movie), I almost cried.

Here's a trailer. It's an old movie (1992) so don't expect nice English subtitles on the trailer, but the movie is available from netflix and for purchase with subtitles. And it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.

The movie contains two main themes:
~ The struggle of tradition to survive in a modernized/modernizing world
~ The struggle of one young woman to achieve the complexity in performance ability required by her adopted father

The movie, by Im Gwontaek (Im Kwon-taek), one of the best Korean directors, is centered on the art of pansori, a Korean sung epic-story where a single performer sings all the roles (lyrics include "Shimcheong's father answered..." "The old woman said" rather than requiring the performer to actually use different voices for different characters). Pansori epics are rarely performed full length, as they are six to eight hours long, but the highlights are sung often (like famous arias from Western opera). Once in Seoul I saw a full-length performances of pansori. The audience bought tickets for two performances, one week apart (of the first half and the second half-- and it was not required that one buy both tickets).

I saw that performance many years before I began my focused study of Korean culture, and I remember few details. I had to take the bus from Daegu to Seoul for the two halves of the show, which was performed in a lighted hall (so the performer could see and feel the audience), and many people would go "take a break" (smoke, pee, talk with friends on their cell phone) when the mood struck them during the show. What really struck me was the emotion that I felt while listening. At that time my Korean was considerably less fluent than it is today, but even today I find pansori difficult to understand when it is performed-- usually I understand the narration (this narration is part of the performance and the words are fixed), when the singer explains what has happened between two songs, but (like most Koreans), I cannot follow word-by-word except in the case of a few very famous excerpts that I have heard over and over again (many of these are also in my recorded music collection--in my own defense my collection also includes two full-length recordings). But you do not need fluent Korean, or much Korean at all, to feel the emotions and perceive the beauty in pansori.

Although (historically) there were more epics, only five have survived until the present day. Three are very well known, Chunhyang-ga, Shimcheong-ga, and Heungbo-ga. In this case 'ga' means vocal music or song, for example the same Chinese character 'ga' is present in the genre names gagok and gasa, two other types of Korean vocal music. Two pansori epics are less well known, these are Jeokbyeok-ga and Sugung-ga. 

There are many better sources for information about pansori, but the movie Seopyeonje truly communicates the beauty of the vocal genre in a way that the movie Chunhyang -- a movie that retells the Chuhyang story through alternating live-action and concert-pansori performance-- does not. Chunhyang is a great movie, and I recommend it, too. But Seopyeonje is beautiful, the singing (by Ahn Suk-seon) is fantastic, and in the classroom it sparks discussion of the performing arts, changes in Korean society, Korean aesthetic ideals, and connects well to discussions about protecting the heritage.

I leave you with this short documentary on pansori. Certainly the English subtitles could have been more professionally rendered, yet in less than twelve minutes it will give you a lot of background information about the genre.

Most of a Week

June 13^th, 2011

I went to Yonsei to get ready for my class I'll be teaching at Dankook University—I had to print a bunch of things and also find some books and copy certain chapters, all in preparation for making a kick ass reader. I estimate I should get it to the university by the beginning of July, so I still have a tad bit of time. That is good because the library is even lamer than I expected and I could not find some extremely key books—however I was able to use credit that had been on my card since 2006 (!!!) to do the copying in the library.

I barely had time to get home and get back out the door with my stuff for 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum.

At class we had a small turn out, a new high school student, 동호,  plus 윤식, 하연, 세준, 수미. We practiced the 7 of 8 monks in order, then did 애사당, 소무, 할미 and 사상좌.

June 14^th, 2011

I got odds and ends done, but no real writing again. Argh.

Karjam and I went to an amazing 판소리 pansori performance in the evening at 풍류극장. The performance featured one senior singer, 송순섭 and two of his students (one an 이수자, one a 전수자), as well as two 고수 (accompanists for pansori), one for the master and one for the students. The show was really great, and Karjam loved it, too.

June 15^th, 2011

I honestly am so far behind on updating this. I cannot remember anything special happening, I think I just worked on my conference paper the entire day.

June 16^th, 2011

I worked on my paper for most of the day then at 8 we had to go to the studio to add the last of 고석진 Go Seokjin's percussion tracks to the CD. It was sort of frustrating. Karjam was in a poor mood and that impacted his decisiveness and also made him dislike almost everything. It was actually more than sort of frustrating. And since he was irritated at me, I couldn't (as I normally do) make some choices when he was being indecisive. I'm a very good tie-breaker. At 1 (in the morning) we were all exhausted and Karjam still wasn't happy, but we called it quits. Then Seokjin, Karjam and I went to a GS25 and had instant noodles, instant ddeokbokgi and kimchi from a vacuum-packed bag. No this was not my idea.

June 17^th, 2011

I think I spent the entire day writing on my conference paper, increasingly freaked out that I wouldn't get it done.

In the evening I had 상모 sangmo class at Sogang University. It was awesome! Even though I haven't been able to have a class in a long time, today I was amazing! And I learned a whole routine to enter the stage (or the center stage for a solo) which will come in handy later on. Yay!

June 18^th, 2011

I took the bus to near Songpa Sandae Noli and then sat in a coffee shop and worked on the paper until time to practice. Class was very sparse, just 함완식 Ham Wanshik, 이수환 Yi Suhwan, 함승헌 Ham Seungheon and me. Yi Suhwan was teaching the motions and since he and I had a falling out over him repeatedly changing the English on the 송파산대놀이 facebook page (please visit it and "like" it), even though I'm the native English speaker who writes about Songpa Sandae Noli in English, he ignored me and taught Ham Jr. while Ham Sr. drummed and I just followed along. He was teaching him the part of 노장 Nojang, the old monk, so that was actually kind of interesting. This is one of the two parts that Yi Suhwan jealously maintains control of and almost always performs. From a dance perspective it's the most difficult solo in the entire drama. The most interesting part of class was a debate between Ham Sr. and Yi about changing motions in the dance. The debate may go in the dissertation word for word (I wrote as fast as I could).

After class I went back near home, but stopped at Chan's Bros and wrote for at least a couple more hours there before I went home.

Yi Saenggang is the Best Daegeum Player in Korea

 April 28^th, 2011

So for mom's last day in Korea we stopped by the Seoul History Museum, which has an excellent exhibition right now of photos from a Czeck visitor to Korea who was here in 1901. That's all we had time to look at, although I was itching to show them the big diorama of Seoul. We had lunch, went home, took mom to the airport. It was sad to say good-bye, we had a great visit. I was only –much too snippy to be acceptable—once. That's like a record for me (not saying I wasn't mildly bitchy on other occasions but I only had to apologize once).

I went straight from the airport to the 중요무형문화재전수회관's 풍류극장 (the Pungryu Theatre at the Intangible Cultural Properties Training Center bldg) for the third installment in the series we also went to on Tuesday. This show I wanted to see because 이생강 Yi Saenggang, National Human Treasure for Daegeum Sanjo was playing. I love him! The other two featured performers were 정명숙 Jeong Myeongsuk who I've seen at KOUS and other locations quite a few times, she's a jeonsu gyoyuk jogyo for 살풀이 salpuli and 강정숙 Gang Jeongsuk, who I may never have seen before. She is a 가야금산조 및 병창 gayageum byeonchang National Human Treasure like Ahn Sukseon. The performance was very different from the performance on Tuesday. First of all it seemed that all three members were resistant to the talking that Ms. Oh wanted to see going on between numbers. However the show was almost fifty minutes longer- Gang played sanjo (in other words she only played and didn't sing) for a good twelve minutes or more, then also sang (pansori) quite a few numbers and Yi played four different types of flute (several numbers on most of them). It was really awesome. At the end Ms. Oh finally got Jeong to dance again (she protested "I thought I was only here to dance salpuri" but she did ipchum) and Yi accompanied her on the daegeum while two other musicians also played. Ms. Oh tried to get Gang to play or sing during this number and Gang refused to do either. I liked the show much more, and I also felt like I'd gotten my money's worth. The whole evening there were some very loud 추임새 chu'imsae people, including the guy one over from directly behind me. A lot of talk back in general. At the very end one of them insisted Ms. Oh sing. She sang about 40 seconds, but it was quite good. 

Bongsan Talchum Class, Changdeok Palace and Pansori!

April 25^th, 2011

I wanted to get some actual work done so before meeting 지수 Jisoo for lunch mom and I went to Starbucks so I could put my headphones on and just concentrate on my writing. Lunch was quite delicious. In the afternoon we did a little shopping for mom. Had dinner, left for class.

This isn't my photography, but it's good photography, has the credit for the photographer and  it shows a great norigae

Tonight I had 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum and we arrived early enough to show mom the building a little bit, including the newly renovated shops on the first floor where the products made by the people in the system for the craft arts. There was a 10,000 dollar horsehair hat and other arts priced similarly. But they're all so beautiful, if I could afford a 1,500 dollar dangly 노리개 accessory for my hanbok I'd buy it! Class was a little odd because the performance (which so many class members are participating in) is Friday, and everyone was exhausted from rehearsals as well as their other duties. Almost everyone was late and no one had any energy for rehearsal. I did have a great talk with 김은주 Kim Eunju and박연식 Bak Yeonshik. I will be going with Yeonshik to observe him teaching classes (in public schools, teaching traditional performance skills and theory) on the 11^th. I'm looking forward to that.

The biggest thing that I noticed and stuck in my head as necessary to write here is the common practice of having the performers sell tickets to the shows they perform in. Of course this doesn't extend to many traditional performances, which are often free. However when it's a show that is being mounted by a group of performers, then they are all tasked to sell tickets—each person is given a stack and told to get their family and friends to come. I'm not saying this is unusual, but it does contribute to a situation where most performances happen in front of an audience that knows other audience members and at least one of the performers, and that happens for the traditional performances as well. It is so common that when I'm going to a show at KOUS if I want to talk to the people next to me a logical question is "Who did you come to see?"

April 26^th, 2011

We took mom to 창덕궁 Changdeokgung (Palace) and the Secret Garden (후원 or 비원 the former meaning more like back garden, the latter meaning secret garden). It was drizzling a bit, just like when we went to 경복궁 Gyeongbok Palace. Mmmmm…  Then we met my good friend 회정 Hoijung for lunch.

In the evening mom and I went to meet 경진 Gyeongjin (the last of my close Korean friends for mom to meet), Jan and Joji at 선릉역 Seollung Station and went to dinner together. After dinner we attended the performance of 안숙선 Ahn Sukseon (best best best singer in Korea and National Human Treasure for 가야금사조 및 병창 gayageum byeongchang), 정재만 (probably my favorite traditional dancer and National Human Treasure for 승무 seungmu) and 정철호 (a well known 판소리 pansori National Human Treasure). The presentation was sort of unusual. For one thing there was an MC, 오정해 Oh Jeonghae—she's a singer and a media "personality"—who was very active in the presentation. They had set up a raised seating platform with a table for tea and the performers sat there, behind whoever was presenting their stuff at that time, although with Ms. Oh. There was also a fair amount of conversation between each piece. I recorded it all, and might transcribe it, but basically they were trying to make people more comfortable with traditional culture, especially what they were seeing, and getting them some more education about it. 

Watching Goseong Practice at KNUA

March 15th, 2011
I worked on the computer. Had lunch with Sarah. Worked on the computer. Went to 상모 sangmo class.

In class there was 현석 Hyeonseok, 지수 Jisu (who has not practiced since the fall), 성현 Seonghyeon and I. 이종휘 Yi Jonghui decided to loan me his really awesome whip part on the sangmo, and it is heavier than mine and spins SO SMOOTHLY. I looked in the mirror and partially because of the superior equipment, but partially because I really have improved a thousand fold, I was momentarily amazed that it was actually me making those perfect motions. Jonghui, as usual, was a hardass and made us repeatedly practice the same thing… I wanted to do 나비사 nabisa with his whip, but no, instead I did reversed direction circles for the second week—but those look almost as good as the counter-clockwise regular circles, now.

March 16th, 2011
I had lunch with Jan, a German guy studying Korean and interested in doing research on 판소리 pansori, worked on translation, and went to KNUA to see everyone practicing. First I met 혜미 Haemi and 경진 Gyeongjin for dinner. We just went to a little Korean-style fast-food place (a 분식 bunshik). But I bought their dinner and also bought some drinks for everyone while practicing at the market. During vacation they both worked at different kinds of drinking establishments, and they told me they'd been practicing three times a week, giving each other critical feedback. Classes started at the beginning of March and they're learning 양주별산대 Yangju Byeolsandae, 경기도 새남굿 Gyeonggido Saenamgut (a shamanic ritual, they learn the music and dance primarily), they have a lot of theory classes this term, too. They also mentioned that 창열 Changyeol was going to come to evening rehearsal. When we got to campus and the practice room everyone was there except for 기영 Giyeong who was at a funeral. I got tons of totally awesome hugs when I arrived. I scribbled six notebook pages of notes while watching, to summarize:
In addition to Changyeol, 안대천 Ahn Daecheon also came to practice, as he's a whole gigantic one year older than Changyeol, he talked most of the time and Changyeol was relatively quiet. Daecheon's wife and daughter (who's less than a month) also came to practice.

The students began with the basic motion set followed by 덧뷔기 deotbuigi. 재윤 Jaeyun played the 꽹과리 ggwaenggwari and Haemi played the 장구 janggu (because during the performance as well they'll be the primary musicians). As soon as they finished the basic motions then they moved directly into Act 1 (문둥북춤 Mundung Bukchum). 태환 Taehwan was playing the part and I thought he looked a lot more fluid, if a bit repetitive in his motions. But Daecheon criticized him intensely, particularly focusing on the fact that he didn't convincingly show his interest in the 소고 sogo before he came and tried to pick it up.

The students moved onto the second act, but after a couple minutes Daecheon stopped them again, this time with pointers that they needed to seem more excited to be "at play" than they were, how they should avoid 말뚝이 Malddugi's whip and so on. He said they didn't even look like they were worried they'd get hit. After a bit more criticism and an example of how several characters should be acting, the scene started again. As 민기 Min'gi entered the center for the Malddugi solo it was clear he was hesitant, he looked down at the floor and shook his head after small mistakes or to shake out the next move. Daecheon stopped them again, talked to Min'gi (but somewhat mildly it seemed to me) and criticized the musicians, saying they weren't connecting with the dancers. When 정우 Jeong'u had to do his solo for 원양반 Won Yangban he had the half smile that says "oh crap, I'm going to screw up." He also kept his head down a lot, biting his lip and faltering on his speeches. Min'gi lost his balance on a dance solo, to his evident embarrassment. While they were practicing next to me Gyeongjin was running through the monk's steps. It seemed obvious to me that the students may have been rarely practicing or not practicing at all and before long Daecheon announced that they were all worse than they'd been at Goseong (so does that mean he and Changyeol hadn't stopped in at all until the day I came?). Daecheon even questioned if Jeong'u was right for the part, asking everyone if they'd been practicing their individual dances, and asserting that everyone needed to practice special dance parts at least three times per day and then when rehearsing show some awareness of where the audience is, where the edge of the stage is, what angle to look at and generally to keep the energy level high, which it was not. The second time through Jeong'u looked more masculine and confident and he remembered all the dialogue, making me really think they just hadn't been practicing enough to remember stuff.

Act 3 went pretty smoothly and it runs out to the end, but Daecheon points out that the Yangban should move more like a yangban. Also they must choose where on the stage to do certain things and then keep doing it that way when they practice.

Act 4 is barely criticized, and Gyeongjin doesn't make any mistakes but the two women are told they don't look feminine enough and Daecheon points out a lack of intention in the mood- the old monk must seem like he's really into the women.

Act 5 was criticized by far the most. The blocking is off on the stage, the group hasn't practiced enough together, and Changyeol says it wasn't even funny, though it should be. Changyeol says it was "제일 보기 싫어" (the one that was the most painful to watch), basically all parts of it are wrong, even to the fact that the students hadn't brought props they need for the practice. They were told they looked like they didn’t want to be practicing. "Get your mood up! Don't depend on us to be here, figure this out for yourself." The students answer that they'll practice every day from April, but Daecheon and Changyeol want them to find places and ways to practice every day now, separated by act being fine.

Then Act 5 is told to practice again and again, until at least 11 pm but around 10:30 everyone else is excused worried about timing to get home, I left, too.

Typhoon Kompasu Comes Calling

September 2nd, 2010
Typhoon Kompasu came calling in the night. Around 2:30 rain was blowing in and onto our faces (the window in our bedroom has a sort of privacy screen and it’s on the side of the building with our neighboring buildings that are higher than us, so usually things don’t blow in from that side). At 6 something Karjam woke me up because he heard a loud noise. Getting up to investigate I found that the front door had blown open. I went back to bed, but then the door to the roof crashed open again and I knew it was that instead. Putting on enough clothing to be somewhat decent I ascended the rain slicked really weird ladder to the roof and tried to close the door, Karjam joined me and managed to get it locked again. The wind was howling. Going to meet 현지수Jisu for lunch I was not surprised at the number of downed limbs and trees, the world was dusted with leaves and debris, and news showed that fishing boats had blown ashore, windows had shattered and trees had landed on various things allover Korea.

In the afternoon I waited at the subway station in humidity that had sweat dripping down my neck until finally Kathy found a cell phone to borrow—she had gone to the wrong stop. I met her outside the Intangible Cultural training center and we went in to the 봉산탈춤 Bongsan Talchum office, it turned out that an outfit through them for one of the dances is 400,000 or so, and the masks are also about that much, which of course would blow Kathy’s whole budget, finally we determined that she would rent one mask, buy the little baby puppet and buy an outfit. She put down a deposit and followed along in the Bongsan Talchum class. There were fewer people, but some who hadn’t been there on Monday were more advanced. At any rate, it was a good rehearsal but really tired me out. When class ended Kathy and I sat in the hallway and listened to the guy next practice room over practice the 판소리 pansori epic 적벽가 Tale of the Red Cliff. When he took a break I found out he’d been training for more than twenty years.


Photo: Kim Eunju on the drum with several students in 2006. We use this room to practice on Mondays, but currently not on Thursdays.

A point to make that I noticed because Kathy was there—김은주 Kim Eunju is partially such a good teacher because she always says everything the same way. She is often talking us through it as she drums and we dance, and she will call out each move and she never varies her vocabulary. This makes it (once you learn what the move is called) really easy to sort of fake your way along even when you don’t remember well enough to do it on your own. As for me, I’m able to remember my way through 먹중 4 and 7 (the role of the dark faced monks number 4 and 7), and of course the standard movement set, and getting better on the rest. Remembering my way through 4 and 7 doesn’t mean I’m doing them perfectly, just that I’m now able to start thinking about the details not just what comes next. Back in 2006 I knew all of the dark faced monks except 1 (which is rarely taught), some of the grandmother’s dance and all of the 상좌 sangjwa, the novice nun dance.