''Heungbuga'' () is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean ''
pansori
' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer.
The term ' is a compounds of the Korean words and , the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan'' has multiple meanings, and scholars disagree on which ...
'' storytelling tradition. It is also called ''Baktaryeong'' (박타령) or ''Hungboga'' (흥보가). The other stories are ''
Simcheongga
() is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean ''pansori'' storytelling tradition. The other stories are '' Chunhyangga'', '' Heungbuga'', '' Jeokbyeokga'', and '' Sugungga''. The characteristic of this story is that it deals with the dif ...
'', ''
Chunhyangga
''Chunhyangga'' () is a '' pansori'' folktale from Korea''.'' Being a pansori, ''Chunhyangga'' is a narrative art form, and is traditionally performed by two people: a singer and drummer. There is also a story based on the ''Chunhyangga'' pansori ...
'', ''
Jeokbyeokga'' and ''
Sugungga''. It is about the story of Heungbu, a poor but good man with many children.
''Heungbuga'' depicts common people's lives with a folksy atmosphere. Many listeners prefer ''Heungbuga'' because of its focus on humor. This humor in ''pansori'' is called ''jaedam sori'', which means ''funny sound'' in Korean.
The most famous part of ''Heungbuga'' is "Cranky Nolbu," depicting the nasty Nolbu in a light-hearted fashion with a fast ''Jajinmori'' rhythm.
It is widely considered that the latter part of Heungbuga is inferior to the beginning. One explanation for this is that the latter part was not sufficiently revised by its singers over the years. This could be used as evidence for the importance of ''
deoneum'' in ''pansori''.
Plot
''Heungbuga'' is also called ''Bak taryung'' (''Gourd Song''). Poor but good-hearted younger brother Heungbu cares for a swallow's broken leg, and the swallow repays Heungbu's kindness. The swallow brings a gourd seed to Heungbu, who plants the seed. The gourd yields fruit containing treasure. Upon hearing this, Heungbu's older brother, the nasty and greedy Nolbu, becomes jealous, and he breaks a swallow's leg intentionally. After that Nolbu, too, gets a gourd seed; however this time the fruit contains goblins.
Theme
''Heungbuga'' is a moral story emphasizing brotherly love, with themes and ideas of cause and effect and retribution. However, promoting Confucian ethics and morality is not the sole purpose of the story. Behind this fairy tale, there is a theme that reveals a new realistic worldview that the common people have acquired - "existing conventions are futile" - through subjects such as fallen aristocrats who still try to maintain their status in the midst of rapidly changing social phenomena at the time.
See also
*
Korean music
Korea has produced music () for thousands of years, into the modern day. After the division of Korea in 1945, both North and South Korea have produced their own styles of music.
Traditional music () produced by Korea includes court music, folk ...
*
Pansori
' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer.
The term ' is a compounds of the Korean words and , the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan'' has multiple meanings, and scholars disagree on which ...
*
Pansori gosu
*
Culture of Korea
The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea before the division of Korea in 1945.
Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean sovereign state, stat ...
References
National Changguk Company of Korea
External links
《Hankyoreh》, 27 September 2007
Pansori
Korean folklore
{{Korea-stub