GEORGIAN FOLKLORE
Georgian folklore is one of the outstanding parts of the world cultural heritage. The Georgian people are known for their unique culture and traditions. They are a people where one can find great talent in every second person and where every second person has a good ear for music and a good voice. Over the centuries, unique examples of Georgian folklore have been created – inimitable works of singers, dancers, folk musicians, masters of fine and applied arts. Georgian polyphonic song, literature, Georgian dance, Georgian ornament, ceramics, cloisonné enamel, wall painting, Georgian clothing, gold and silver embroidery, Georgian weapons and armor.
Georgian folklore dates back to ancient times and constitutes the history of the Georgian people. The description of Georgian songs and dances was first found in ancient Assyrian and Greek written sources. Assyrian king Sargon (714 BC) tells about their “merry songs” during the war with the distant ancestors of the Georgians. The Greek historian Xenophon (V-IV centuries BC) in “Anabasis”, describes the fighting dances and songs of the Kartvelian tribes, accompanied by musical instruments. The first folk instruments discovered during archaeological excavations in Georgia date back to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. For millennia, Georgians have used such instruments as Salamuri, Gudastviri, Buki, Changi, Fanduri, Chonguri, Chianuri, Doli, Daira, Diplipito.
Georgia is a classical country of vocal polyphony, and vocal polyphony is the starting point of Georgian musical thinking. Georgian folk polyphonic song has gone through a long period of development and improvement. Georgian musical folklore has accumulated over time, changing qualitatively and quantitatively. Folklore itself presupposes syncretism and includes dance, song, music and poetry in its organic whole. Georgian folk music is characterized by free improvisation, variability and a lively creative process.
In 2001, UNESCO recognized Georgian polyphonic singing as a masterpiece of oral and intangible cultural heritage, and in 2008 it was included in the list of masterpieces of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity, thereby confirming the universal significance of Georgian traditional polyphony.
The unusual sounding and polyphony of Georgian songs became the reason that as soon as technical means of recording melody and sound appeared in the world, many foreign recording studios became interested in Georgian folklore. This is how collections of Georgian folk songs appeared, recorded at different times in museums in London, Berlin, Vienna, Riga, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Foreign scientists noted that polyphony in such a developed form does not exist in the world. This is recognized by eminent scientists, folklorists, ethnomusicologists, composers and musicians.
One of the masterpieces of Georgian folk music, Georgian polyphony – “Chakrulo”, along with other masterpieces created by man, was recorded on the NASA Gold Plaque attached to the interstellar spacecraft Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, which were launched from Lands on August 20, 1977.
Georgian folk music with its diverse, complex forms of vocal polyphony, high levels of polyphonic thinking attracts the attention of specialists. Over time, interest in her is growing. Therefore, a comprehensive study of Georgian non-native musical creativity is highly relevant. Georgian folk music is a collective concept as it is a collection of musical dialects. Georgian folklore contains 15 musical dialects: Kartli, Kakheti, Khevi, Mtiuleti, Tusheti, Pshavi, Khevsureti, Racha, Samegrelo, Guria, Svaneti, etc. Among the main genres of folk music are:
Labor – “Gutnuri”, “Kevruli”, “Urmuli”, “Herio”, “Kevruli”, “Kalospiruli”, “Namgalo”, “Naduri” and others.
Cult – “Kviriya”, “Lashari”, “Chona”, “Alilo”, “Lazare”, “Sabodisho”, “Dideba”, “Dala”, “Zari”, “Lile”, “Jvaruli” and others.
Household – “Mravaljamieri”, “Chakrulo”, “Shemozakhili”, “Berikatsi”, “Batonebo”, “Yavnana”, “Mirangula” and others.
