P'ungmul: South Korean Drumming and Dance (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) Review

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P'ungmul: South Korean Drumming and Dance (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) ReviewMany are familiar with the folk festival and agricultural functions of Japanese taiko drumming and Chinese celebratory lion dance drumming, but the similar Korean tradition, like many of its cultural features, has remained unknown in the West. Ethnomusicologist Nathan Hesselink has helped fill that void with his thorough and detailed examination of p'ungmul, the complex communal drum and dance music in South Korea that was nearly lost under 50 years of modernization under Japanese occupation but now preserved and fostered with honor. This study is of the ritualist (purification, harvest thanksgiving, protection) and celebratory (festivals, weddings) characteristics of these many musical groups and how they provide community spirit, solidarity, shared aesthetics, and dignity of village labor and life. Here, dance is as important as the syncopated rhythm and participants often number some 20 to 40; Samul-Nori, in contrast, is an urban concert distillation of the tradition by only four musicians that emphasize rhythm and song.
We learn about the construction and history of the core percussive instruments: the hourglass changgo drum, the pul barrel drum, the sogo small double-headed frame drum, the small soe brass gong, and the large ching brass gong. Ensembles often include the shrill hojok double-reed oboe (akin to the piri). The book describes the various costumes, hats, flags, and representative characters (monk, bridge, actor, hunter or artilleryman, aristocrat, dancing and flower children). Five types of hats alone are presented, some triangular affixed with large multicolored pom-poms and others with wide brims topped with swirling tassels and long ribbon streamers. The movements and created patterns of these streamers are prescribed and named. Likewise, we read about the scores of band formations developed along circles, spirals, straight and parallel lines and curves, and with erect and crouching postures. Of course, many of the rhythms are discussed. One chapter concerns training and teaching of the art.
Well-illustrated, including colored plates, this finely written, generally accessible book will interest world music enthusiasts, ethnomusicologists, and students of Korean history and culture. Unfortunately, the book lacks the power of a video presentation; an accompanying DVD of an example of the astonishing, complex music and dance formations would have, in addition to sparking interest, put the analysis in better light. Therefore, I recommend first viewing some videos of the art on YouTube. I predict that you will then want to read this book!P'ungmul: South Korean Drumming and Dance (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) Overview

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