Georgia on my mind

Russia and Georgia are now at war. In some ways, this is old news: there's been a proxy war going on for ages over South Ossetia. I don't know much about the political background here, but I do know a bit about Georgian music.

In most countries, traditional music is homophonic: folk songs consist of a single melodic line. But Georgia has a tradition of polyphony going back centuries: in the fields, in the pub, in the monasteries, everyday songs would consist of complex semi-improvised harmonies: amazing, wild, rough, beautiful. I first became aware of this when I heard the Rustavi Choir at a late-night Prom in the mid-'90s.

Some Youtubery:
Kakhuri Alilo: verses over a drone by the Rustavi Choir.
In a softer style: Gogov Shavtvalav featuring the dulcet tones of renowned soloist Hamlet Gonashvili, who died in a fall from an apple tree in 1985.

Having established that Hamlet Gonashvili is awesome, here he is singing Tu Ase Turpa Ikhavi.

A vintage recording of a male quartet singing what sounds like a prettied-up version for TV, with a sampler of other stuff at the end. Some good musical background in the "More info" bit.

I can't find actual lyrics to any of these songs online, so I haven't the foggiest idea what they're singing about, but it is beautiful. I think that Georgia having produced music like that kind of makes up for their having produced one Josef Stalin back in the day.

Doubtless both sides are guilty of much idiocy in the leadup to this new war, but Russia vs Georgia is a foregone conclusion, really. So get your Georgian music while you can.

Georgia on my mind

Russia and Georgia are now at war. In some ways, this is old news: there's been a proxy war going on for ages over South Ossetia. I don't know much about the political background here, but I do know a bit about Georgian music.

In most countries, traditional music is homophonic: folk songs consist of a single melodic line. But Georgia has a tradition of polyphony going back centuries: in the fields, in the pub, in the monasteries, everyday songs would consist of complex semi-improvised harmonies: amazing, wild, rough, beautiful. I first became aware of this when I heard the Rustavi Choir at a late-night Prom in the mid-'90s.

Some Youtubery:
Kakhuri Alilo: verses over a drone by the Rustavi Choir.
In a softer style: Gogov Shavtvalav featuring the dulcet tones of renowned soloist Hamlet Gonashvili, who died in a fall from an apple tree in 1985.

Having established that Hamlet Gonashvili is awesome, here he is singing Tu Ase Turpa Ikhavi.

A vintage recording of a male quartet singing what sounds like a prettied-up version for TV, with a sampler of other stuff at the end. Some good musical background in the "More info" bit.

I can't find actual lyrics to any of these songs online, so I haven't the foggiest idea what they're singing about, but it is beautiful. I think that Georgia having produced music like that kind of makes up for their having produced one Josef Stalin back in the day.

Doubtless both sides are guilty of much idiocy in the leadup to this new war, but Russia vs Georgia is a foregone conclusion, really. So get your Georgian music while you can.