Georgian Polyphonic Secular Song
Polyphony is defined as music that combines several lines of music simultaneously. Polyphony is generally uncharacteristic of folk music. If one looks at Western music, it is clear that polyphony developed from homophonic texture. However, Laurence Picken has disputed this in the case of polyphonic folk music from Asia Minor:
PICKEN 1954:82
The commonly held view that homophony is a relatively primitive condition of music out of which polyphony has evolved is a view largely determined by the history of Western Europe. The observation that makes this view untenable is, that for a great many peoples, widely scattered over the surface of the globe, often in inaccessible regions, apparently remote from the possibility of cultural contact with the West, music is polyphony.
By the tenth century, polyphonic singing was already a mainstay of the Georgian Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. Polyphony in Georgia is commonplace and found in many genres of vocal performance, including those typically considered "folk" music. UNESCO declared this genre of music as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.[8]According to UNESCO the new proclamation honors forms of popular and traditional expression such as languages, oral literature, music, dance, games, mythology, rituals, costumes, craftwork know-how, and architecture. The oral and intangible heritage encompasses complex, broad and diverse forms of living heritage in constant evolution. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura calls it a "melting pot for creative expression and a driving force for living cultures.
Monophonic songs, music that comprises one line, are performed only while working on the land or when traveling alone. Unlike the Armenians, Georgians almost never sing in monophonic unison. When three voices sing in unison, the middle voice takes precedence and the top voice takes a secondary role. A group of people often sings the bass. Often, distinctions between the performers and audience are blurred. At weddings or other celebrations, all of the participants take part in the performance, antiphonally at times. Georgians mark these events with supra feasts. A supra is a traditional social gathering where people have a long celebrated meal. The tradition of supra is strongly linked to the custom of hospitality, known as stumartmoqvareoba (loving one's guest) or stumar-maspindzloba (the relationship between a guest and a host) (Tsitsishvili 2006: 456). Supras provide a context where polyphonic singing and dancing takes place.
Musical dialects play significant roles in Georgian polyphonic performance and each dialect has its own intonation and manner of performance. Three-part singing is widespread throughout Georgia. For example, the Rachans and Svans, who live in south, have preserved the original vertical consonant form of polyphony where the movement of all three voices is characterized by the rhythmic synchronism and tight sonority. One will find two-part singing in the mountainous regions of the east (Kartli-Kakhetian musical dialects for example), and four-part polyphonic singing in the west and southwest. Another interesting dimension is polyphonic music's association with gender roles. According to Chkhikvadze, though polyphonic singing is important to both men and women, polyphonic singing primarily is associated with male honor and masculine identity (see Chkhikvadze 1980). Men's songs contrast women's songs, which are characterized by simpler polyphonic textures and repetitive formal structures (Tsitsishvili 2006: 467).
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"Tsinandali Ensemble - Bindisperia sopeli (Twilight Land)"
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Listening Note for "Bindisperia sopeli (Twilight Land)" for an example of Georgian polyphonic secular song.
Conclusion
Central Asia and the Caucasus comprise a diversity of people unlike anywhere else in the world. The current political boundaries do not necessarily reflect the various ethnic differences found throughout the region. The various soundscapes provide contexts for different styles of music, both secular and sacred. In Central Asia, nomadic cultures rely on storytelling through music while the music of the sedentary reflects the deep impact of Islam, spiritually, culturally, and politically. The Christian cultures of Armenia and Georgia make a dramatic distinction between the Muslim regions of Central Asia. Central Asia and the Caucasus's long contact with other cultures have created various musical styles that embody the changing nature of the entire region.
After the 1917 revolution, traditional music was replaced by that celebrating communism and USSR nationalism.
