From Joseon to today,
200 years of pansori's emotions captured in one volume

"Easy to Read Pansori" carefully selects and introduces 16 famous scenes from the five madangs of pansori, and introduces modern pansori, which ranges from traditional pansori to creative pansori.
This book includes photos of all the current pansori human cultural assets (holders) along with easy and vivid commentary, allowing readers to not only meet the faces of master singers they only knew by name, but also convey the vivid sense of presence as if they were participating in the pansori performance themselves.
Author Jo Soon-ja, based on her extensive experience in researching and teaching Korean traditional music theory, demonstrates exceptional writing skills in presenting pansori in an easy and enjoyable way.
The book is sprinkled with fun and humor throughout, making readers feel as if they are listening to a singer's "Aniri" as they turn the pages.
It also provides helpful explanations of difficult Pansori terminology and connects historical background with contemporary sensibilities, allowing readers to immerse themselves naturally.
Another special feature of this book is that it includes QR codes, allowing you to actually hear the voices of famous singers.
By scanning the QR code with your phone while reading the text, you can instantly listen to the corresponding passage or original pansori, making it both fun to read and fun to listen to.
In addition, to make it more enjoyable to look at, I drew a pretty flower score.

It wouldn't be easy to tell a person's entire life story in one sitting, would it? But a storyteller does.
When a storyteller sings the entire story from beginning to end in one place, it is called 'Wanchang'.
For example, the pansori “Chunhyangga,” which contains the love story of Yi Mong-ryong and Seong Chun-hyang, is structured as “love-separation-hardship-reunion.”
If you compile this story into a book, it will become a novel.
--- p.16

Chunhyang lies face down in front of the front gate of her house and watches the back of her husband as he leaves.
“One swan turns and looks like a tree, two swans turn and look like stars, and on the fifteenth night, the full moon disappears into the clouds.”
Ah! What a wonderful expression! As it gradually receded from view, the random figure grew smaller and smaller, "appearing as small as a tree," then "as small as a star," and finally, like a full moon obscured by clouds, it disappeared forever.
It's goodbye forever.

--- p.49

Wow! I'm so happy that even after pouring, ...
It is said that Heungbo poured out so much rice and money in front of a reality that he could not believe even after seeing it with his own eyes that the rice was 100,000 seok and the money was 100,000 nyang.

Heungbo is already drunk on money.

--- p.93

The "Gunsaseolum Taryeong" from the pansori "Jeokbyeokga" is an original passage created in pansori that does not appear in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
This is a special scene that can only be heard in “Red Cliff Song,” and it contains the scene where the soldiers of Cao Cao’s camp each express their sorrows the day before the Battle of Red Cliffs.
This section is a lyrical scene that delicately expresses the psychology of soldiers. Although the composition varies depending on the original and school of music, it generally has common sections such as “Thinking of Parents,” “Thinking of Children,” “Thinking of Wife,” and “The Song of the Patriot.” --- p.189

Have you ever heard the saying, “A person’s name is their face and their personality”?
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? What about the line, "When I called his name, he came to me and became a flower"? Yes, that's part of Kim Chun-su's "Flower."
A name is a 'symbol representing a person's existence' and is also an important medium for forming social relationships.
The expression 'worth its name' probably came about in this context.
The reason I suddenly brought up the name is because, as I was introducing the singer Lee Ja-ram, the name felt new and meaningful.
--- p.263

The delicious vocal sounds of pansori singer Han Seung-seok are combined with guitar, piano, and janggu rhythms to create a new harmony.
You might be thinking, "Is this really pansori?"


These attempts are an effort to expand the boundaries of pansori.
When asked how he would define the identity of this music, he is unequivocal.
“Just because the accompaniment has changed doesn’t mean it’s not pansori.
If the sound I sing follows the pansori grammar, then it is pansori.” At least, it means that there are many different ways to try out different performance methods.
Han Seung-seok says this about creative pansori:
“Creative pansori doesn’t have to follow the format of existing traditional pansori.” “As long as the essence of pansori is not lost, the format can change flexibly.” Han Seung-seok doesn’t view creative pansori within a fixed framework.
I believe that the core of creative pansori is maintaining the musical idiom of traditional pansori while reflecting and expanding upon the changes of the times.

--- p.284