Friday, August 10, 2007

Epic Korean Chant

Video Find of the Day

Let's indulge my xenomania!

This is an example of Pansori. It's a Korean style of spoken and sung performance accompanied by drum. The remaining traditional repertoire is said to consist of 5 pieces. The one here is called Shimchungga, or Simcheongga in the Wikipedia article.

These performances can go on for hours. The stories, as I've seen them described, are not exactly Homeric, but the style, including the drum, at least in the solo parts, strikes me as probably very close to how an ancient recital of the Iliad might have sounded.

No comments: