Welcome to “Sounds of Korea” on KBS WORLD Radio. This traditional music program invites you to deepen your understanding about Korean traditional music by taking a closer look at various music-related topics every week. Today, we’ll talk about a traveling performing troupe called Namsadang남사당 and music associated with them. I’m your host ________. Please stay tuned, I’ll be back shortly.  

The Namsadang band is a traveling group of performers that thrived in the late Joseon period. Dozens of performers, led by a ggokdusoi꼭두쇠, traveled all over the country and put on such acts as dish-spinning, a mask dance, tightrope walking and acrobatics. In return, they were provided with food and accommodations and sometimes money. Interestingly, Namsadang comprised only of male performers, but the hottest member in its history was ironically a woman named Baudeok바우덕. She joined the group at age five and by the time she was fifteen years old, she was so extraordinarily skilled that the crew was called the Baudeok troupe instead of Namsadang. She was particularly renowned at tightrope walking.

At the end of the Joseon Dynasty, when Grand Prince Heungseon흥선, father to King Gojong고종, was rebuilding Gyeongbokgung경복궁 Palace, the Grand Prince invited several performing crews to entertain the laborers. The Baudeok troupe was among those invited but stood out from the rest with their breathtaking acts. Amazed by Baudeok’s talent, the Grand Prince gave her jade headband buttons allowed only for high-ranking noblemen. The first music piece for today’s Sounds of Korea is entitled “Tightrope Walking” performed by Juri Band.

Tightrope Walking/ Performed by Juri Band

Namsadang was a traveling band but its base was usually set in a Buddhist temple. The band members made money by selling charms and amulets made at the temple and asking for donations on behalf of the temple, and offered a portion of their earnings to the temple. The Baudeok troupe was based at Cheongryongsa청룡사 Temple in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do Province. Baudeok was so popular at the time that the following song was written. 

Money comes out just by Baudeok of Anseong Cheongryong holds up a drum.

Money pours when Baudeok of Anseong Cheongryong climbs up the rope. 

Baudeok of Anseong Cheongryong leaves in the wind. 

Sadly, Baudeok died prematurely in her early 20s. Her grave and a memorial shrine in her honor were built near Cheongryongsa Temple in Anseong. Among the Namsadang nori놀이 or acts is a puppet show called ‘deolmi덜미.’ The name ‘deolmi’ came from the fact that the puppets were controlled by holding the back of their necks, or ‘deolmi’ in Korean. The main characters in this puppet play are a village official surnamed Park and his wife. Songs coming up next are the chorus sung by the clowns at the beginning of the play entitled “Tteiru떼이루” and the song performed in the passage where the main character participates in the Pyongan governor’s falconry. Master singer Nam Ki-moon who was raised by Namsadang sings these two songs.

Tteiru, Falconry/ Sung by Nam Ki-moon

Tightrope walking, one of the Namsadang noris, was called ‘eoreum어름’ which means ice in Korean, because this act is as dangerous as walking on thin ice. The tightrope walker is called ‘eoreumsani어름산이.’ Korean traditional tightrope walking is done about three meters above the ground, much lower than the similar act done in the West. But the rope is not actually fastened tightly, but rather loosely, allowing the walker to sing songs and even do aerial stunts on the rope. One feature that sets Korean eoreum from its western counterpart is exchanging banters with the onlookers on the ground. Musicians are seated under the rope to play background music just right for the walker’s stunts and the eoreumsani makes jokes with other clowns and explains the acrobatic moves to the public. 

These days, a young tightrope walker named Nam Chang-dong남창동 is called the idol star of tightrope walking. Having started when he was only eight years old, he is now just in his early 20s. He often performs together with his father Nam Hae-woong남해웅, who is a pansori singer himself and often supports his son’s act by playing the role of a clown. This father-and-son pair formed a duo named Ajae아재 who sang “Walja Taryeong왈자타령,” a song about the clowns. That will be the last song for this week’s episode of Sounds of Korea.

Walja Taryeong/ Sung by Ajae