As previously mentioned in my post explaining about the origins of my blog-name and the song tsintskaro, I offer this album of Georgian folk songs sung by Hamlet Gonashvili.
bio
HAMLET GONASHVILI was considered the voice of Georgia. He was an outstanding soloist, influential teacher and brilliant performer of traditional Georgian music. Born in the Eastern part of the country, he was know to be the best interpreter of songs from the regions of Kartli and Kakheti. He played an important role in the world-famous Rustavi choir, the first choir in Georgia to include into its programme songs from all regions of the country. At the hight of his creative powers HAMLET GONASHVILI died in a tragic accident in 1985 falling off a tree while picking apples. He had been awarded his country's most important honours and prizes.
After a year of research JARO has managed to discover missing tapes in Russia which document GONASHVILI's solo parts, in order to produce a collection of his most impressive songs.
***History of Georgian Music from the liner notes of Hamlet Gonashvili****
An element of the rich and diverse culture of the Georgian people, the traditional songs of Georgia are a musical chronicle of the country's history. Despite the numerous incursions of foreign invaders - Arab, Mongolian, Turkish, Persian - Georgia has preserved its language, both oral and written, its architecture, its religion and a large number of unique songs and melodies.
In the course of it's historical development, Georgia has come to have many lingual and musical dialects. The song types are named after the different regions - Kakheti, Kartalinia, Racha, Svaneti, Megrelia, Imereti, Guria, Adzharia - and their musical dialects differ considerably from one another in rhythm, intonation, texture and harmony. Fundamentally, Georgian songs consist of three parts although Gurian and Adzharian sometimes consist of four. A particularly interesting form of Gurian and Adzharian song is the krimanchuli - a type of yodel, a melody of a figural nature. To this day unisonous singing has survived in Hevsureti, Tusheti and other mountainous areas. Monophonic singing is common in certain types of songs of the West and East of Georgia.
Developed over the centuries, the traditions and styles of performances have been handed down from generation to generation by outstanding singers, many of whom founded their own schools and whose memory lives on in the minds of the Georgian people.
The Georgian chorals, priceless jewels in the treasury of traditional Georgian music, became particularly widespread between the 9th and the 12th centuries. According to the prominent musicologist Ivaneh Javakhisvili, even prior to the 9th century a school of sacred singing existed in Georgia. Evidence of this is the special attention paid to choral singing not only at the seminaries and academies affiliated with Georgian churches and monasteries, but also at Georgian cultural centres in other countries. Along with the diverse hymnographic literature, Georgian chorals were performed at centres of learning in Mtskheta, Tbilisi, Gelati and Ikalta, as well as abroad in Jerusalem, Athos, Petritsoni and other places. These seminaries and academies had splendid choirs where singers skilled in the choral arts were trained. Georgian literary sources of the 9th to the 12th centuries name prominent Georgian hymnographers, composers and choral performers who contributed to the development of the Georgian musical culture. Recording of the chorals became possible with the invention of the Georgian neumatic notation by composers like Georgi and Efrem Mtatsmindeli, John and Stephen Mtbevari, Mikael Modrekili, Catholicos Arsen, and John Mannchkhi. Of the collections of Georgian chorals that have come down to us, the oldest (10th Century) was compiled by the hymnographer Mikael Modrekili. It provides a good impression of the Georgian musical culture and craftmanship of the medieval period and marks the beginning of professional Georgian music.
Igor Stravinski "Recordings of the Georgian people's polyphonic songs represent important musical impressions. They are recorded in a tradition of active reproduction of Georgian folk music, the origin of which begins in ancient times. It is a wonderful discovery and can give us much more than all the modern music can..."
Tracklist
1. Satrpialo (highland, love song)- A mountaineers song performed in Eastern Georgia to the accompanionment of the "panduri" (ancient oriental lute)
2. Orovela (Kartalino-Kakhetian, work song)- Sung during the ploughing. Probably an ancient song, since the plough is an implement in use since time immemorial. "The song may have been a paean to an agrarian deity or one of the elemental forces" (Sh Aslanishvili)
3. Kakhuri Nana (Kakhetian, lullaby) - In pre-Christian Georgia "Nana" was the name of the sun godess. Later this meaning was forgotten.
4. Gaprindi Shavo Mertskhalo (Kartelino-Kakhetian, lyric song) - Expresses a family's anxiety and grief over the fate of relatives who have gone off to the wars.
5. Chela (Megrelian, carter's song) - A carter's lyrical song, accompanying some job that is not repetitive. The song speaks of the carter's lot, Chela being the name of his ox.
6. Tsintskaro (Kartelino-Kakhetian, lyric song) - An outstanding example of Kartalino-Kakhetian lyrics voicing a young man's poetical mood.
7. Shavi Shashnvi (Gurian, hunter's song) - A comic hunting song marked by harmonic wealth and contrastive polyphony.
8. Imeruli Nana (Imeretian, lullaby)
9. Chona (Kartalino-Kakhetian, ritual song) - A congratulatory song performed by a group of singers on Easter night.
10. Zari (Gurian, lament)
11. Kalospiruli (Kartalino-Kakhetian, work song) - Sung during the threshing.
12. Berikatsi Var (Karalino-Kakhetian, epic song)
13. Shen, Bicho, Anagurelo (Kakhetian, lyric song) - A song dedicated to the hard working young singer.
14. Daigvianes (Kartalion-Kakhetian, lyric song) - An elegiac song to lyrics by A. Tsereteli
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have and continue to. It is still available to buy through Jaro medien.online.
http://www.mediafire.com/?29dwyi21ctlw0fo
