Seonsori Santaryeong (Folk Song of the Mountain Performed in a Standing Position)

It is called seonsori because the singers perform standing up, and santaryeong refers to a folk song in which several singers line up and sing in chorus with light gestures while playing sogo (small hand drums). The leader of the troupe, called mogabi, carries a janggu and sings the leading line, while the other singers strike their sogo and take up the response, adding various barim (gestures combining hand and foot movements). The piece is called santaryeong because its lyrics take the scenery of mountains and rivers as their subject, and it is structured to begin slowly and gradually speed up towards the end. Today's Seonsori Santaryeong is sung by men, but it originated in sadangpae sori, songs sung by women. The sadangpae, troupes organised by monks and Buddhist believers, sang panyeombul chants in chorus to solicit alms, which were then offered to temples. As Buddhism declined in the Joseon period, the sadangpae also degenerated and turned into namsadangpae (all-male troupes), and the panyeombul chant was carried on by singers and developed into seonsori taryeong. Seonsori Santaryeong is divided into Seodo Seonsori Taryeong, developed by singers of the Seodo region, and Gyeonggi Seonsori Taryeong, developed by singers of Gyeonggi Province. Whereas Gyeonggi Seonsori Santaryeong describes the mountains and rivers around Seoul with the responding singers playing sogo, Seodo Seonsori Santaryeong sings of the scenery of Pyeongyang, with the singers holding handkerchiefs as they move, and proceeds at a relatively fast, lively pace. Seonsori Santaryeong is not only valuable material for studying the music of the sadangpae, but is also among the most cheerful and spirited genres of traditional Korean music.

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Where it is

Region

Location not stated, Seoul

Designation

National Intangible Heritage · 국가무형유산