The Tale of the Three Young Brothers: an Analytical Study of Music and Communal Joy (Hŭng) in Korean Folk Culture

Abstract

When discussing the essential characteristics of traditional Korean folk music, Korean musicians and scholars often refer to the emotional states of han and hŭng– forms of suffering and communally experienced joy, respectively. This article focusses in particular on hŭng (communal joy), exploring what this state involves, introducing the traditional performance contexts that are particularly associated with it and then investigating how musicians contribute towards its growth, via detailed analysis of a single case‐study musical performance: the ‘Tale of the Three Young Brothers’, as sung by a (usually female) Korean shaman (mudang) to the accompaniment of a double‐headed hourglass drum (changgo) and large gong (ching). Step‐by‐step analysis attempts to reveal the complex relationships among song text, rhythm, performative behaviour and emotions, showing how musicians and audience members work together to evince a dramatic transformation from a condition of oppression (han) to one of liberation.

Sounds to soothe the soul: music and bereavement in a traditional South Korean death ritual

“…See also Mills (2011) for further analysis of how musical performance is used to generate a shared emotion of "communal joy" (hŭng), not only in Korean shaman ritual but also in other forms of Korean folk music. 12 There is now quite extensive scholarship detailing the therapeutic strategies employed by mudang.…”