Drinking Horns and Gramophones - The First Recordings in the Georgian Republic, 1902-1914
An unprecedented historical recording of Georgian vocal music that peels away a century of Soviet academic polish and Western classical influence to reveal a folk music of searing lyricism and breathtaking complexity. In Georgia, polyphonic vocal music, usually associated with early modern Western melody, dates back to the 4th century and is as essential to the wedding table as to the church choir. These recordings from before the Russian Revolution, culled from gramophone archives in England, include a field labor song in 4 vocal parts, a rare early example of liturgical chant, and numerous banquet toasting songs featuring masterfully controlled dissonance and free-meter improvisation. An important document of a pre-Soviet era that few Georgians themselves can remember, and of a legacy that scholars and lovers of traditional folk music will cherish.
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The dense and powerful polyphonic vocal music of Georgia, a tiny but storied nation in the Caucasus Mountains, runs like a bolt of electricity through the listener who has only heard traditional Western choral music. A Georgian song’s three voice parts relate to each other like a Möbius strip, with unexpected chords, beating dissonances and ringing unison tones creating a rich texture that doesn’t follow Western rules of harmony or melody. Traditionally sung while wielding the plow, encamped on the battlefield, or imbibing wine during a wedding toast, this extraordinary music dates back to at least the 10th century (some scholars claim as early as the 4th century) and continues to thrive at local banquets and private gatherings. Here the renowned Trio Kavkasia presents traditional songs from cities and hamlets across Georgia, in styles ranging from wedding and work songs to carols and hymns.
Part of our DIGITAL AUDIOPHILE SERIES, this release is lavishly packaged with a slipcase and 20-page booklet.
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