Week 10: Assignment

Due: April 7

CH 7. East Asia: Korea; Japan

1. In a sentence or two, what is p’ansori/ pansori music? According to the pansori singer in
the follow video, what does “Sori” mean? What is the significance of sori in terms of
metaphorical and symbolic meanings? And what does the singer consider to be the
“trinity” of pansori performance?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kt7YdXsWzg

2. Listen to “P’ansori Narrative” (CD 2.2) and follow the listening guide. Pay attention to
shifts in timbre. What descriptions do the authors use when discussing the various vocal
timbres in a pansori performance? And how might you compare or contrast it with
Chinese operatic singing?

3. What is the story of “Ch’un-Hyang-Ka” within pansori repertoire? See both what the
authors state as well the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5TN0G6MqHs

4. Listen to this Korean hip hop song by producer Gray, featuring the rapper Soguum
(Sugar), and (Woo). Do you notice the incorporation of pansori vocals? Note the times
when you hear pansori singing. What are your impressions of this track?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9xYJ6jqIXI&list=RDU9xYJ6jqIXI&start_radio=1

5. Watch this video about K-Pop popularity in India (in the video they mention the Indian
state of Manipur and Mizarom which are located in the Northeast corridors of the
country). (The “K-Pop” industry might be considered an equivalent to Bollywood music
for Hindi-speaking audiences in India and Indian diaspora, though K-Pop is not
connected directly with the film industry).

What are your thoughts on the global and trans-Asian connections of K-Pop? Why do
you think it is so popular in India today? And in the United States? with K-Pop groups
like BLACKPINK, all-male groups BTS, or even the G.O.A.T. of K-Pop, Psy (see
examples below) garnering major international and North American attention

Choose 2 examples to write about in addition to the short VICE documentary (Describe,
compare and contrast, vocal timbres with all we have covered thus far about Korean
traditional, popular music; language; the use of dance beats if you can identify them, etc.)
 VICE documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqpWxRRMbTQ

Examples:

Taeyang, featuring Lisa from a K-pop group called BLACKPINK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFnAuiklEug

Psy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

(Featuring Snoop Dogg)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkMNOlYcpHg

Jeans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArmDp-zijuc

BTS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBuZEGYXA6E

Bi (Rain):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki00FJhmP9s

6. Listen to this example of Korean rock/ metal by “Jambinai.” Notice the combination of
Korean folk instruments (the plucked 12-string zither, gayageum and the two-stringed
vertical fiddle, haegum) with “Western” rock instruments, electric guitar, bass, and drum
kit. What aesthetics and emotion are conveyed. Does any of it remind you of traditions of
pansori? How so? Write your observations about what you hear and see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=dEuSHgI-pk8

7. Listen to “Gagaku Court Music” (CD 2.3) and watch a few minutes of this Gagaku
ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OA8HFUNfIk

Describe the sounds of this kind of music, the variety of timbres produced by the
instruments, the instrument names, and briefly discuss why you think court music of
Japan became as a sonic symbol of power and stateliness.

8. What is kabuki? Listen to “Kabuki Theater” (CD2.4) What does its music sound like?
When was it developed? How is it different from noh theater? And what stories are
usually depicted in kabuki theater (page 211, 4th edition version of the textbook)? Also
watch for further reference and to see dance styles which are crucial to this performance
tradition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KxDVAUghWY
9. Watch this video of taiko drumming at a university in Japan. The history of taiko includes
Japanese Americans in the 1960s and onwards who cultivated taiko techniques into an
ensemble involved co-ed groups and highly athletic that then made its way back to Japan
due to its popularity as a fierce style of playing taiko drums in North America. What
might you discuss with regards to sound, the body, silence, stateliness, and nationalism?
What metaphors come to mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZagsLrNzg3I

10. Watch the following clip of metal pop band, Babymetal and compare and contrast with
Korean popular music. Discuss timbres, dance styles, visuals, sounds, genre and other
sonic aspects and what they convey to listeners, now a global audience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvD3CHA48pA