A Study on Idiomatic Melodies of Lee Wansoon's Shaman Songs: Focusing on Salpuri in 1982

This study analyzes her idiomatic melodies and music-making method focusing on two “Chogamangseok Salpuri” pieces of Jindo ssitgimgut (purification ritual in Jindo) performed by a shaman Lee Wansoon and recorded in the field in 1982. The two salpuri (lit. exorcism) pieces—respectively, called (A) and (B)—have four melody types— respectively, called type A, B, C, and D—in common. Type A that appears the most is the wave shape composed of mi', do', la', and so on; the note corresponding to each beat moves down in the form of a wave within one rhythmic pattern. The lyrics of type A is primarily about historical myths. Type B, mi' ascending-descending type or sustaining-descending type, is a melody that ascends or sustains at the first note for more than two beats, and then descends after that. The lyrics is usually the first syllable of a word or phrase, and this melodic structure has the effect of emphasizing the syllable. Type C is a cadence melody that usually follows type A; after the first note, various melodies of ascending, sustaining, and descending movements are formed, and the final note la is continued for more than two beats to end the melody. The lyrics consists of plosive sounds. Last, type D form is mi'-mi♭'-mi', which appears once in both (A) and (B). Even within these idiomatic melodies, however, there is a difference between (A) and (B). For example, type A in (A) mainly consists of a la'-mi' wavy melody, while that in (B) mainly forms a mi'-la-la' wavy melody. In addition, (A) uses type B to emphasize the first word of the phrase, and then composes type A for the next rhythmic pattern, repeating the same word, whereas (B) does not emphasize the word of the phrase and immediately starts the type A. This shows that even if it is the same lyrics, the melody is used differently. Therefore, the analysis of Lee Wonsoon's two salpuri pieces confirms that there exist four idiomatic melodic types, and within this large framework, she creates a shaman song in each performance by improvising with various melody types and lyrics. Even if these two materials alone cannot define her method of making music, it is significant to discover her idiomatic melodic types.