Can you tell me more about this Georgian folk song?

November 12, 2011 4:05 PM

Anyone from Georgia around (not the one in the south - the one in the Caucasus). I am fascinated by this Georgian folk song, which I think is somehow related to this piece by Tsintsadze because the melody structure seem a little similar and (I think) they share a name, "sachidao". That's all I know, and I really like this song. If you're Georgian, or just happen to know Georgian folk music, can you tell me more about it?

I'm interested in stuff like - How old is it? Does this style have a name? Is it religious? What are they singing about? Is it a common, well-known song or style in Georgia or is it obscure? Any info you might have would be great, thanks!

posted by gertzedek to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

There is a professor at DePaul University in Chicago, Clayton Parr, who is an expert in Georgian folk music. You may want to look him up and ask if you don't get any bites here. I have met him a couple of times - really a great guy.
posted by Tchad at 4:33 PM on November 12, 2011

A bunch of my colleagues are Georgian, I'll pass this along to see what they say.
posted by Blasdelb at 4:45 PM on November 12, 2011

Just emailed ethnomusicologist pal who specializes in Georgian music.
posted by k8t at 4:54 PM on November 12, 2011

That was beautiful! I hope you find your answers and share them with us.
posted by onhazier at 7:08 PM on November 12, 2011

I'm pretty sure it's a song about wrestlers. They are taunting each other. Short explanation in the comments of this video.
posted by rebennett at 8:04 PM on November 12, 2011

Clearly, google translate is uncomfortable with Georgian. It appears to be pretty well-known; apparently it was on a tourism video (to be fair, that song is a pretty convincing argument). It's not directly religious, but there are plenty of recordings of the song during church services. This is in a non-typical style for the Kakhetian region (someone correct me if I'm wrong) - it does have three voices, but it does not utilize the usual two-voices-doing-things-over-a-drone formula. I believe it is in a more western style, but don't quote me on that.
posted by rebennett at 8:52 PM on November 12, 2011