Talchum

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Korean mask dance-Talchum-03.jpg
Korean spelling
Korean alphabet : 탈춤
Revised Romanization : Talchum
McCune-Reischauer : T'alch'um

Talchum ( Korean : 탈춤 ) is a traditional Korean mask dance, where in its performance through dance, song, musical accompaniment and language, stories are told, comedies and tragedies are played and rulers are caricatured and criticized. Many performances can also be understood as theatrical performances.

Origin of name

Mask dance performance in the historic village of Hahoe

Talchum literally means mask dance, where 탈 = mask and 춤 = dance.

Today every dance performance that is performed with masks is incorrectly referred to as talchum. Talchum was originally the name for a mask dance that came from the Hwanghae Province ( 황해도 ). In other regions the dances or performances had other names, such as B. Sandae Nori ( 산대 노리 ), who came from the region of Seoul ( 서울 ) and Gyeonggi-do ( 경기도 ) or Saja Noreum ( 사자 노름 ), the lion dance, which originally came from Hamgyeong-do Province ( 함경도 ). The different dance styles from the different places of origin have different names.

history

The tradition of the Korean masks goes back to the Silla period ( 신라 ) (668–935). Legend has it that Cheoyong ( 처용 ), a stranger who was naturalized in Silla under King Heongang Wang ( 헌강왕 ) (875–886) in AD 879, danced and sang in front of his house to the evil spirit of smallpox, his Woman had infested to expel. When he succeeded, the ghost promised never to reappear on Cheoyong's face. Since the people of the time believed that illnesses came from evil spirits, legend has it that they used masks with Cheoyong's face against the evil spirits. Later they developed rituals and placed masks to protect against the ghosts at the entrance of their villages or houses. The uglier and more terrifying the masks, the greater the protection they superstitiously offered them. The oldest known Korean mask is the Bangsangssi mask from the Silly Dynasty. It dates from the 6th century AD.

The oldest known mask dance in which the dancer wore a mask is the Cheoyongmu or the dance of Cheoyong. It had developed in the Goryeo period from the 9th century and was danced to exorcistic rites . Later it developed into an acting dance.

The Hahoe masks are believed to have originated in the middle of the Goryeo period ( 고려 ) (918–1392). Eleven of them have survived and were declared National Treasure No. 121 in 1964. They can be viewed in the National Museum of Korea.

The mask dance has been a theatrical performance since the Joseon period, when Sandae dramas were initially performed at the royal court. The artists for this were administered by the government office called Sandaedogam ( 산대 도감 ). After this office was dissolved, the dramas also disappeared from the court, but were later continued as popular plays for the entertainment of bourgeois society.

As a dance or as a theater performance, masks, costumes, styles and performances have developed differently over the centuries in the various provinces and regions of Korea and have distinctive characteristics.

That changed after the Korean War. The mask dance in particular, which actually originated in north Korea, was brought to the south of Korea by the North Korean refugees and established there. The styles Bukcheong Saja Noreum, Bongsan Talchum, Gangnyeong Talchum and Eunyul Talchum are primarily to be mentioned here in unchanged form.

12 different mask dances

Bukcheong Saja Noreum

Mask dance

The Bukcheong Saja Noreum or Saja Noreum for short ( 사자 노름 ) (lion dance) comes from Hamgyeong-do ( 함경도 ), the northeastern province of Korea during the Joseon period. The dance is musically accompanied by three instruments, the janggu ( 장구 ), the jing ( 징 ) and a six-hole bamboo flute . The dance is performed by two people, one who holds the head of the lion costume and specifies the type and sequence of movements and figures. The second person forms the body and the rear of the lion. Originally, the lion dance was performed as a ritual to keep out evil spirits or was danced on the first full moon night of the new year to bring good luck, a good harvest in the year and prosperity for the village. The lion dance was often accompanied by other performances.

In today's depiction of the lion, the fur is no longer dark in color, but mostly white.

Haeseo Talchum

The Haeseo Talchum style ( 해서 탈춤 ) originally comes from the province of Hwanghae-do ( 황해도 ), which is now in North Korea. The three most famous variants bear the name of the region they come from, Bongsan , Gangnyeong and Eunyul .

Bongsan Talchum

The Bongsan Tachum ( 봉산 탈춤 ) is the most famous variant of the Haeseo Talchum style. First, the dance was performed on Buddha's birthday on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month. Later, after it lost its religious significance, it was celebrated at almost every 5-day market and performed on a larger stage once a year for Dano ( 단오 ), the Korean spring festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. According to historical records, the event attracted up to 20,000 people. The costumes were colored, with long white ribbons of fabric worn out of the sleeves. These were moved jerkily during the performance, which gave the expressive dance a special note and supported the gesture. During the dance, which consists of seven scenes, the dancers, provided by the local administrations of the regions, spoke Chinese verses, accompanied by traditional drum music.

The Bongsan Tachum is now very common in South Korea and is taught in dance schools.

Eunyul Talchum

Eunyul Talchum

In contrast to the Bongsan Tachum, the Eunyul Talchum ( 은율 탈춤 ) only has six scenes, the linguistic accompaniment of which was carried out in the everyday language of the common people. The first scene opened with the white lion dance. The dancers were mostly farmers or simple people.

Gangnyeong Talchum

The Gangnyeong Talchum ( 강영 탈춤 ) differs from the Bongsan Tachum in its elegant and gentle design. It has eight scenes and the costumes are simpler. The dance had retained its religious character, whereas the bongsan tachum was danced for pleasure and entertainment. The type of masks also differed accordingly.

Sandae Nori

Sandae Nori ( 산대 노리 ) is a kind of mask dance that is native to Seoul and the Gyeonggi-do Province ( 경기도 ). The dance was performed at the beginning of the Joseon period to greet ambassadors or at royal events at court.

산대 means something like a temporarily raised stage and 노리 means play. So the performances were to be understood more as a drama that was performed at court. The artists were hired and provided by the Sandaedogam ( 산대 도감 ), an office that was subordinate to the government. After the office closed, the dramas were performed as folk plays for civil society.

Sandae Nori comprised eight chapters,

  • Sangjwachum , ritual dance of young monks,
  • Omjung and Sangjwa Nori , episodes of a sinful monk afflicted with scabies and young monks,
  • Meokjung and Omjung Nori , episodes of the sinful monk and a black monk,
  • Yeonnip and Nunggeumjjeogi Nori , episode of a righteous priest with psychic powers and a blinking priest,
  • Palmeokjung Nori , episode of eight unworthy monks,
  • Nojang Nori , episode of a morally depraved old monk,
  • Saennim Nori , episode of a moronic nobleman,
  • Sinhalbi and Miyalhalmi Nori , episode of an old couple.

Songpa Sandae Nori

Songpa Sandae Nori ( 송바 산대 노리 ), which developed in Songpa ( 송바 ), which is now a district in southeast Seoul, does not differ fundamentally from Yangju Sandae Nori. The masks used were oval and slightly more expressive than those from Yangju.

Yangju Sandae Nori

Yangju Sandae Nori ( 양주 산대 노리 ) came from the Yangju ( 양주 ) district, which is now a district north of Seoul. The masks here were a bit more rounded.

Seonanggut Talchum

The Seonanggut Talchum ( 선 안꿑 탈춤 ) was performed as part of shamanistic rituals.

Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori

Hahoe masks

The Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori ( 하회 별신 궅 탈 노리 ) is a mask dance that comes from the village of Hahoe ( 하회 ) near Andong ( 안동 ) in the former province of Gyeongsang-do ( 경상도 ). The residents of the village maintained Rieten who worshiped divine beings who supposedly protected the village. The name Byeolsingut refers to a special shamanistic ritual that was held every five or ten years.

The dance consists of eight scenes, with the last two scenes being intended to placate the protective spirit or God. The Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori is one of the oldest known mask dances in Korea. Eleven of his masks that have been preserved date from the Goryeo Dynasty ( 고려 ) (918–1392) and are kept in the National Museum. The wooden masks embody the following characters: Gaksi (the bride), Yangban (the nobleman), Seonbi (the scholar), Bune (the flirtatious young woman), Jung (the Buddhist monk), Baekjeong (the butcher), Halmi (the old woman), Choraengi (the noble's servant), two juji (lions) and the unfinished mask Imae (the scholar's mad servant).

Yaryu or Deulloreum

The Yaryu ( 야류 ) mask dance or Deulloreum ( 들 로 름 ) comes from the area around Busan , east of the Nakdonggang River.

Suyeong Yaryu

The Suyeong Yaryu ( 수영 야류 ) comes from the Suyeong district . The dance has four sections, all of which are quite short in their execution. The variation of the masks is limited. The dance starts loud and quick and ends with a tug-of-war to encourage team spirit.

Dongrae Yaryu

The Dongrae Yaryu ( 동래 야류 ) developed later than the Suyeong Yaryu and also consists of four sections. It begins with the scene about a nobleman, followed by a scene about a leper and an old woman. The last scene is the lion dance fighting a tiger.

Ogwangdae

The Ogwangdae ( 오광대 ) is the mask dance of the five clowns. The dance, which is native to the west of the Nakdonggang River, originally had five sections. The Ogwangdae and the Yaryu are said to be of the same origin.

Gasan Ogwangdae

The Gasan Ogwangdae ( 가산 오광대 ) is performed today in six scenes, with the first being celebrated by the five gods of the five directions (four cardinal points and the center). Another special feature of the dance is the scene in which the nobleman dies and an old woman fights for her rights, unusual for that patriarchal time. The final scene is dedicated to the five shamans. 30 different masks can be used in the performances.

Goseong Ogwangdae

The Goseong Ogwangdae ( 고성 오광대 ) has its original five scenes and does not criticize the nobles in its execution as strongly as in the other dances. The dance uses 19 different masks and a doll.

Tongyeong Ogwangdae

The Tongyeong Ogwangdae ( 통영 오광대 놀이 ) also consists of the original five scenes, but does not have the dance for exorcism or criticism of the apostate monk. Instead, the nobility is criticized much more strongly here than in other Korean mask dances.

Photo gallery

  • Eunyul Talchum

  • Songpa Sandaenori

  • Bukcheong Saja Noreum

  • Obanggaksi Chum

  • Dolhareubang Talchum

  • Hahoe mask dance theater

  • different mask dance

literature

Web links

Commons : Talchum  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Saeji : The Bawdy, Brawling, Boisterous World of Korean Mask Dance Dramas . 2012, p.  1 .
  2. ^ Masks & the Mask Dance . Korea Net , September 16, 2014, accessed February 17, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Lee Tae-su : Silla Song Tells How Islamic Medicine Cured Small Pox . Korea Focus , April 2, 2012, accessed February 17, 2016 .
  4. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  11-13 .
  5. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  12 .
  6. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  15 .
  7. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  20 .
  8. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  24 .
  9. ↑ a b National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  144-163 .
  10. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  69 .
  11. ↑ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  190-205 .
  12. ↑ a b c National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  164-169 .
  13. ↑ a b National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  89-105 .
  14. ↑ a b National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  130-143 .
  15. ↑ a b c d National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.): Tal and Talchum . 2011, p.  106-129 .