Monuments of material culture and written sources indicate that the roots of Georgian folklore go back more than 8 millennium BC. The Georgian people showed their artistic gift especially in the creation of stunning dances and songwriting, which is expressed in labor, camp and round dance songs.
Antiquities also include songs of greatness, appeals to the sun, the spirits of ancestors and many others, reflecting remnants of the ancient pagan musical culture and bearing traces of agrarian and ritual functions.
Folk music grew on the basis of spiritual chants, like church music, was transmitted from generation to generation directly through a living singing tradition and traditionally accompanied work, hunting, weddings, funerals, historical or heroic events, military campaigns, popular entertainment and dances.
Georgian traditional musical culture, both folk and spiritual, is primarily a singing art of amazing beauty. Its peculiarity is a complexly organized combination of many voices in a single sound stream that excites everyone who has ever plunged into it.
Each ethnic group has its own dialect and recognizable musical style with certain forms, structure and manner of performance. Folklore folklore contains a number of dialects – Khevsurian, Tushetian, Pshavian, Mokhevian, Mtiulian, Kartlian, Kakhetian, Rachian, Svan, Megrelian, Imeretian, Gurian, Adjarian, Lazian.
At the same time, polyphony is characteristic of all regions of Georgia, while solo singing is less common. It is the polyphonic singing, the multi-component musical structures and the diversity of local styles that distinguish Georgian folklore from the main monody styles of neighboring states.
At the celebrations called – “Supra”, songs and toasts in honor of the fatherland, love, friendship and traditional solemn songs — for many years — often sound. “Mravaljamieri” is an example of such a hymn which is saturated with unusual, tart harmonies and the melody of a solo duet against the background of other voices with its flight and freedom reminds of the inspiring nature of the Caucasus, broken mountainous reliefs.
In a modest and much rarer solo repertoire, three categories can be distinguished: male solo songs – labor, female solo songs, mostly lullabies, as well as lyrical, historical, heroic and comic songs performed by both men and women accompanied by various instruments.
Georgian song and dance music invariably arouses admiration among the listeners, it is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and it still hides many beauties for researchers and true connoisseurs. In 1976, the American space agency NASA, on the Voyager 1 space probe, sent the Georgian folk song “Chakrulo” into space as an example of the musical abilities of mankind.
In songs and dances, the soul of the people is best revealed. Everyone knows the rich traditions of the Georgian people and their love of dancing. Georgian dances are famous all over the world. Their grandeur and beauty do not leave anyone indifferent.
The tradition of Georgian folklore dance goes into hoary antiquity. The Greek historian Xenophon, who lived in the 4th century BC, says that among the peoples who inhabited the territory of modern Georgia, it was customary to go into battle with songs and dances. These ritual melodies, originating in both pagan and Christian traditions, have been preserved in Georgian folklore to this day.
Each dance is unique and shows different events: weddings, wars, life of mountain peoples and city life. It combines love, courage, competition and beauty. Dance is the life of the Georgian region in which it originated. So the dances of the highlanders are significantly different from the dances of the flat inhabitants. For each dance, special costumes are used that combine history and art.
Georgia Voyage
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