The objective of this study was to identify the musical orientation of the two pansori performers, Jeong Sun-im and Oh Jeong-suk, by comparing and analyzing the section structures, lyrics, rhythmic cycles (jangdan), ornamental patterns (buchimsae), me...
The objective of this study was to identify the musical orientation of the two pansori performers, Jeong Sun-im and Oh Jeong-suk, by comparing and analyzing the section structures, lyrics, rhythmic cycles (jangdan), ornamental patterns (buchimsae), melodic organizations, and modes in a creative pansori 〈Yu Gwan-sun Yeolsa-ga〉 performed by them, and then to clarify the specific musical characteristics of the Bak Dong-sil and Kim Yeon-su lineages based on this analysis.
Study findings are as follows:
When examining the structure of the section, Jeong Sun-im’s 〈Yu Gwan-sun Yeolsa-ga〉 consists of a total of 19 sections, while Oh Jeong-suk’s 〈Yu Gwan-sun Yeolsa-ga〉 is composed of 18 sections. The overall structure of the two performers’ renditions is generally the same; however, Jeong Sun-im’s version includes the episode “The Two Brothers Taken Away,” while Oh Jeong-suk’s version adds the sections “Introduction of the Father” and “Admission to Ewha School,” resulting in a difference in their narrative characteristics. In particular, Oh Jeong-suk’s performance expands the narrative to further highlight Yu Gwan-sun’s growth background and personal identity, and by placing the sections “Court Scene” and “Court Plea” at the beginning, it constructs a dramatic structure that emphasizes her spirit of resistance and determination to fight.
The structure of the lyrics was analyzed by classifying them into identical, different, and other lyrics. Lyrics with a difference of four rhythmic units or fewer were categorized as identical, those with five or more additional rhythmic units or differing lyrics as different, and those with newly added content as other. As a result, the identical lyrics were organized into six sections, the differing lyrics into eleven sections, and the other lyrics into two sections. Through this, it was confirmed that while both performers commonly utilized the lyrics of the five traditional pansori pieces, Jeong Sun-im placed emphasis on the narrative flow based on historical facts, whereas Oh Jeong-suk reconstructed the lyrics to enhance dramatic tension and emotional expression.
Regarding ornamental patterns (buchimsae), Jeong Sun-im’s performance in the section of “Birth and Growth” consists solely of daemadi-daejangdan patterns. In contrast, Oh Jeong-suk’s version, performed in jungmori jangdan, features various syncopated ornamental patterns such as ingeogeori, milbuchim 1, milbuchim 2, wanjageori, and danggyeobuchim. In the “March 1st Independence Movement” section, both versions employ various syncopated ornamental patterns, such as ingeogeori, wanjageori, milbuchim 1, milbuchim 2, bbeodeum, gyodaejuk, and doseop, excluding danggyeobuchim, with ingeogeori appearing most frequently. This shows that in the fast jajinmori jangdan, it was common to leave the first beat without lyrics, pause briefly, and then attach the lyrics to the second beat. It is noteworthy that gyodaejuk is an ornamental pattern used only in Jeong Sun-im’s performance, adding various modifications to the three-beat jangdan. In the “Ending” section, it can be seen that both performances show little use of syncopation in the daemadi-daejangdan and wanjageori parts. Furthermore, in the “Ending” section of Oh Jeong-suk’s performance, the use of wanjageori appears in only 5 out of a total of 24 rhythmic cycles. This seems to be because the eotjungmori jangdan, structured in six-beat units, organizes the singing in six-beat cycles, resulting in shorter breath spans that limit expressive range.
Examining the mode and melody, in the “Birth and Growth” section, Jeong Sun-im’s performance is in the ujo mode, while Oh Jeong-suk’s is in the pyeongjo mode. However, since Jeong Sun-im also sings using the tonal characteristics of pyeongjo, her version gives a similar impression to that mode. In terms of melodic progression, Jeong Sun-im’s performance features frequent use of ornamental grace notes at both the beginning and end of phrases. In the “March 1st Independence Movement” section, both performances are in the gyemyeongil. However, since the bending pitches are not treated as a single tone but are clearly separated into two distinct notes with definite pitch values, it can be described as pyeong-gyemyeon, sung with the tonal characteristics of the pyeongjo mode. In addition, a perfect fourth interval progression from ‘e’ to ‘a’ appears in the gyemyeongil, but since the lower note ‘e’ is sung without vibrato, it does not convey a sorrowful feeling. In addition, the lower note ‘e’ is sometimes used an octave higher, and in such cases, its vibrating quality is greatly reduced, functioning similarly to the upper note in the ujogil. In the doseop section, both performers connect and bend the upper note ‘c’ and the lower note ‘b,’ treating them as a single pitch, which creates a sorrowful feeling similar to that of the jin-gyemyeon mode. An examination of the melodies in the “Ending” section shows that Jeong Sun-im’s performance is in the gyemyeongil, while Oh Jeong-suk’s performance is in the pyeongjogil. When comparing the melodies of the same rhythmic cycles with identical lyrics, both performances share the tonal characteristics of the ujo mode. However, Jeong Sun-im’s performance is distinguished by the use of a bending pitch between ‘d’ and ‘c.’ However, since it carries the tonal characteristics of ujo rather than gyemyeonjo, it does not evoke the deep sorrow typical of the jin-gyemyeon mode. In Oh Jeong-suk’s performance, a prominent feature is the melodic progression of a major second (c–d) and a perfect fourth (g–c) between the main tone and the upper tone.
So far, a comparative analysis of the lyrics, ornamental patterns (buchimsae) and melodic progressions in the “Birth and Growth,” “March 1st Independence Movement,” and “Ending” sections of 〈Yu Gwan-sun Yeolsa-ga〉 performed by Jeong Sun-im and Oh Jeong-suk reveals that their performances share largely similar lyrics and melodic progressions. However, differences arise depending on their musical lineages, with the most significant distinctions found in the structure of the lyrics and the use of rhythmic patterns (jangdan). In addition, in terms of expressing dramatic situations, Jeong Sun-im’s performance employs a wide range of ornamental tones (sigimsae), while Oh Jeong-suk’s performance creates a realistic impression through dramatic effects that use the lowest and highest pitches along with detailed musical depiction. Furthermore, while Jeong Sun-im’s performance narrates the situation in a calm and straightforward manner, Oh Jeong-suk’s performance depicts the dramatic scenes in greater detail through both lyrics and melodies, thus suggesting that her style was likely influenced by Kim Yeon-su, who expanded the dramatic qualities of pansori.