Georgia, born under the sign of the song
Rooted in popular culture, singing is omnipresent in the country. It accompanies every stage in the lives of the country's inhabitants. Every moment is an opportunity to sing. Together, with friends and family, at dinner parties, during festivities, to welcome a visitor... Everyone sings those famous polyphonic songs, so beautiful to hear. Any occasion is a good one: when working in the fields, we sing the naduri, to celebrate physical effort. At Christmas, the alilos are sung.
What is polyphonic singing?
These are overlapping melodies in two, three or, more rarely, four voices: high, middle and low, in other words, the first, second and third voices. Usually, the second voice begins the melody. These are independent, vocal or instrumental, in harmony or not. Each singer instinctively places his or her voice. Combined with others, these unique voices create sublime music.
Together it's all
Every occasion is a good one for singing: when we part, when we meet again, at harvest time, funerals, christenings and weddings.
The most famous of these polyphonic songs are the table songs, or drinking songs, to which the mravaljamieri ("long life" in Georgian) belong. These originated in the wine-growing regions of eastern Georgia.
At supras, the famous banquets, tradition dictates that the tamada, the master of the table, makes a plethora of toasts to his guests, who are expected to respond with eloquent praise. The singers invoke the turbulent history of Georgia, subject to so many invasions over the centuries, with deep melodies. The male voices sing of great epics and work. The female voices, on the other hand, are lullabies or pleas for healing. In the past, it was believed that red spots on a child's face were a sign that he or she was possessed by a spirit. In such cases, people sang not only for healing, but also to chase away the spirit.
Mixed singing is rare, as songs are essentially performed by men, and women are confined to singing melodies relating to the home. Men evoke military and table songs.
A page of history
These polyphonic songs date back to the 8th century. Linked to the cult of life, they reached their peak between the 10th and 12th centuries. They were so successful that monasteries in Sinai, Palestine and Bulgaria adopted them. The oldest Georgian songs date back 3,000 years. Sargon II, king of Assyria in 714 B.C., is said to have mentioned "joyful songs" in the kingdom of Ourartou, ancestors of Georgia, during his works.
Three types of polyphony
Depending on their region of origin, village songs have different characteristics.
In the Great Caucasus, in Svanetia, complex polyphony is used. A solo voice is supported by two other voices. Singers also perform Svane rounds. This region is said to preserve the oldest harmonies. Voices adopt the same rhythm. If you take part in a supra, the famous banquets that are such a reflection of Georgian culture, you'll hear the chakrulo, sung at ceremonies and feasts.
The chakrulo uses metaphor, its yodle (from chest voice to falsetto), the krimanchuli, just like the cry of the rooster, sung in a falsetto voice. In fact, it is the supras that have perpetuated these songs.
In eastern Kakhetia, polyphonic dialogue is more common, with a bass drone. Melismas (syllable changes on many notes) and modulations are also heard. Two parts are sung by soloists. These simple melodies have a very oriental sound, characterized by one or two voices rising above a prolonged bass.
In Western Georgia, Imerethia, Guria, Adjaria and Mingrelia, contrasting polyphony is the most widespread. It includes three partially improvised sung parts. They can also be two-part songs above a droning bass. In Gourie, songs can be sung in up to seven voices. While the higher notes are sung by soloists, the bass notes are sung in groups. The songs may be accompanied by percussion.
The panduri and the chonguri, traditional three-stringed lutes, the tchangouri ( four-stringedirsth ) or the panpipes(larchemi) and flute(salamuri), long recorders originally used by shepherds, and the doudouki, a kind of oboe used in the Caucasus region, accompany these songs.
The Church, of course, integrated polyphonic songs into its liturgical chants. Religious polyphonies, written over the centuries, are the most complex. They are always a capella, without instrumental accompaniment. Singing is combined with the text, as Orthodox tradition demands that the melody be submitted to it. The pope is almost always accompanied by a choir, making the whole thing very solemn. The singers have to remain humble, not showing off their personalities, with a sober interpretation of these melodies. These songs are so beautiful that they were integrated into Byzantine liturgical fields. Czarist Russia banned them in the 19th century, then the Soviets in the last century, but they were saved by Georgian patriotism. The practice of Georgian chant is transmitted orally only, within the family and the community: no singing lessons, then, but the "learner" must learn by osmosis from the bearers of this tradition.
Georgian polyphonic songs in France
From birth, Georgians have been bathed in the beauty of these songs. So Georgians uprooted in France felt the need to "rediscover their roots, rediscover their unity, sing together, because it's about coming together and finding harmony; communing together through song, transmitting the beauty of these traditional songs, escaping and taking listeners into their world of musical beauty". It's all about "respecting each other and enhancing each other's voices if necessary, and that creates harmony".
In Île-de-France, there are Georgian music groups Marani, Harmonie géorgienne, Lazi and Ladrikali. They promote these songs in France, organizing study trips to Georgia, inviting singing masters and organizing workshops.
These songs are so beautiful that they have a strong following among the French, well above the 10,000-strong Georgian diaspora.
