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>Information on Pansori

Changgeuk is a play-like Pansori in which several characters appear and they play the given roles. The first Changgeuk is [Choonhyangjeon] that was prepared by Chang-Hwan Kim. In the autumn of 1902, in order to hold an event that congratulates the 40th anniversary of King Gojong’s enthronement, a modern theater, Wongaksa, was established at the site of Saemunan Church in Gwanghwamun. At this time, Chang-Hwan Kim was entrusted with the preparation for this event, and he invited noted male and female singers in the nation to perform Choonhyangjeon.
However, this event was postponed two times because of several circumstances and finally, it was cancelled. However, in autumn of 1903, Yong-Hwan Kang had a performance of Changgeuk [Choonhyangjeon]. At this time, the stage for Changgeuk was: lights were hanged on the ceiling of the stage and a white curtain was draped as background. On this stage, several singers played their own parts. This type of Changgeuk had continued until the beginning of 1930s.
Full-scale Changgeuk was performed after Joseon Vocal Music Research Association was organized in 1933. By the virtue of a benefactor’s financial support, Joseon Vocal Music Research Association reformed itself in 1935 and performed [Choonhyangjeon] edited by Jeong-Ryeol Jeong. For this Changgeuk, the stage was perfectly equipped and many scripts were newly added so it got to have many factors of play. In 1936, ‘Changgeuk Jwa’ was organized under the direct control of Joseon Vocal Music Research Association, and Changgeuk Jwa performed several Changgeuks, making big hits until it became disorganized by the Japanese imperialism in 1940. It was a model of Changgeuk.
After the national independence, Changgeuk was led by women. Women’s groups were jumbled up so the performance was expanded to tales, unofficial history, and folk tales. As the repertory became out of the traditional Pansori, the name of Changgeuk was changed into ‘Gukgeuk’. Women’s Changgeuk ? Gukgeuk- that enjoyed great popularity, became on the decline after 1958, and in 1960, it left its traces behind and disappeared. After civilization, Pansori Changgeuk was continued, but it came to an end when it became women’s Gukgeuk. This process shows what it will result in when purity of genre collapses. Introduction of the western stage changed Pansori (the object of listening) into the object of watching, and as it laid stress on what to show, it became against the traditional contents and form so finally, it destroyed itself. It needs scarcely to be said that national sufferings and dissolution of the national culture by westernization accelerated destruction of Changgeuk.
Changgeuk resulted from introduction of the western culture and the social changes. The western culture started to threaten the traditional society that was the base of Pansori’s existence, so Pansori started to seek after self-changes for survival and under this circumstance, Pansori rose on the stage.
Changes in the space for performance caused several changes. The changes are summarized into: rapid increase of demand on singers; and creation of a great number of charged populace, which positively influenced Pansori to return to its original base, the populace, but singers compromised with the people’s taste, which accelerated secularization of Pansori. In other words, it negatively influenced an easygoing technique of singing to become popular.
A story is the base of Pansori. That is, there is a narrator who tells a story. A performer in Pansori is the narrator. However, Changguek pursues a play. In a play, there is no narrator who delivers the whole story from the beginning to the end. Therefore, Changgeuk should not have the description part. Changgeuk pursues a play, but doesn’t give up a story completely. In Changgeuk, there is a narrator telling a story, who is ‘Dochang’. The existence of Dochang in Changgeuk becomes a proof showing that Changgeuk pursues a play, but can’t become a complete play.
At present, there is no private Changgeuk company. The National Changgeuk Company of Korea, which was established in 1961, is exerting itself to preservation and development of Changgeuk.