All That Talk: PANSORI!

Korean Bansori is a genre of music that is not as well-known as K-pop, but it is a true art form. Bansori performances can last up to eight hours and involve singing and storytelling. It originated in the 17th century and was passed down orally before becoming popular among the elite in the 19th century. Bansori faced a decline but was revived in the 20th century. It requires years of training to become a Bansori singer. Hello, hello, hello! Welcome back to All That Talk, where we talk about everything, everywhere, all around the world. Kick back and relax, today's topic is Korean Bansori. When you think of Korean music, you might think of K-pop, like BTS, and TWICE, and many others. But what about other Korean music genres? Please don't get me wrong, I love K-pop. However, Korean music is not just K-pop, as many other Korean music genres have proven themselves as true art forms. Today I will be talking about one of these genres, Bansori. The term Bansori is derived from the Korean word, tan, meaning a place where many people gather, and sori, in song. Bansori is not only about the song, but it's also about the musical storytelling. These performances last up to eight hours, sung by any gender, accompanied by a single feral drummer. Being a Bansori singer takes many, many years of rigorous training, due to the need to project their voice for numerous hours and memorize complex scripts. Bansori first came into practice in Southwest Korea during the 17th century, where it originally was an oral tradition passed on by the common people before the late 19th century, where it became very popular among the elite. The settings, characters, and situations that bring Bansori to life rose during the Joseon period in Korea. Threatened by modernization, the decades-old tradition was designated as a national intangible cultural property in 1964, spurring on a revival for this art form. Could you take a crack at this? This was Charyn, on All That Talk, and Mrs. Pumsody. Signing out, thank you for listening.