View source for Heungbuga

{{Short description|Korean pansori story}}
{{Italic title}}{{Infobox Korean name
|img=Korean music-Pansori-Heungbuga-01.jpg
|caption=''Heungbuga'' performed by Ahn Suk-seon for the [[World Library and Information Congress]] at [[COEX]], Seoul, South Korea, 2006.
|hangul=흥부가
|hanja={{linktext|興|夫|歌}}
|rr=Heungbuga
|mr=Hŭngbuga
}}
'''''Heungbuga''''' ({{Korean|hangul=흥부가}}) is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean ''[[pansori]]'' storytelling tradition. It is also called ''Baktaryeong'' (박타령) or ''Hungboga'' (흥보가). The other stories are ''[[Simcheongga]]'', ''[[Chunhyangga]]'', ''[[Jeokbyeokga]]'' and ''[[Sugungga]]''. It is about the story of Heungbu, a poor but good man with many children.<ref>http://100.empas.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?s=K&i=239639&v=42 {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref>
''Heungbuga'' depicts common people's lives with a folksy atmosphere. Many listeners prefer ''Heungbuga'' because of its focus on humor. This humor in ''pansori'' is called ''jaedam sori'', which means ''funny sound'' in Korean.

The most famous part of ''Heungbuga'' is "Cranky Nolbu," depicting the nasty Nolbu in a light-hearted fashion with a fast ''Jajinmori'' rhythm.
It is widely considered that the latter part of Heungbuga is inferior to the beginning. One explanation for this is that the latter part was not sufficiently revised by its singers over the years. This could be used as evidence for the importance of ''[[deoneum]]'' in ''pansori''.<ref>재미있는 우리국악 이야기</ref>

==Plot==

''Heungbuga'' is also called ''Bak taryung'' (''Gourd Song''). Poor but good-hearted younger brother Heungbu cares for a swallow's broken leg, and the swallow repays Heungbu's kindness. The swallow brings a gourd seed to Heungbu, who plants the seed. The gourd yields fruit containing treasure. Upon hearing this, Heungbu's older brother, the nasty and greedy Nolbu, becomes jealous, and he breaks a swallow's leg intentionally. After that Nolbu, too, gets a gourd seed; however this time the fruit contains goblins.

==Theme==

''Heungbuga'' is a moral story emphasizing brotherly love, with themes and ideas of cause and effect and retribution. However, promoting Confucian ethics and morality is not the sole purpose of the story. Behind this fairy tale, there is a theme that reveals a new realistic worldview that the common people have acquired - "existing conventions are futile" - through subjects such as fallen aristocrats who still try to maintain their status in the midst of rapidly changing social phenomena at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |editor-last=In |editor-first=Gwon-hwan |title=Heungbuga |trans-title=흥부전 |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0066012#section-3 |website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Korean music]]
* [[Pansori]]
* [[Pansori gosu]]
* [[Culture of Korea]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051106213051/http://www.ntok.go.kr/family/changguk/intro_e.jsp National Changguk Company of Korea]

==External links==
* [http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/culture/music/238945.html 동편제 명창들 “관객 몰러 나간다”], 《Hankyoreh》, 27 September 2007

[[Category:Pansori]]
[[Category:Korean folklore]]


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