The Fifth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony ...

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NATALIA ZUMBADZE, KETEVAN MATIASHVILI
(GEORGIA)
CAUCASIAN PEOPLES’ POLYPHONY AND ITS RELATION WITH GEORGIAN POLYPHONY
(ACCORDING RO THE AUDIO ALBUM – THE MUSIC OF THE
CAUCASIAN PEOPLES – FROM THE PHONOGRAM ARCHIVES OF
TBILISI STATE CONSERVATOIRE)
This paper is based on the Karachai, Adyghe (known in Europe as Circassian) and Abkhazian recorded
materials obtained during fieldwork in Abkhazia (1956) and North Caucasus (1957). Both fieldworks were led
by Georgian musicologist Vladimer Akhobadze, which are included in the audio album Music of Caucasian
peoples from the Tbilisi State Conservatory Phonographic-Archive. In the recordings of the Abaza and Noghai
peoples there are no multipart songs, neither do the specimens of homophonic songs and the repertory of songs
performed with the accompaniment of an accordion show any relationship with the Georgian songs, therefore
we are not going to discuss them 1 .
Without taking into consideration the common Caucasian context and comparative data, it is impossible to
study the origin of Georgian musical folklore. Research on the common roots of the material and the spiritual
culture of the peoples living in the Caucasus has always been the focus of attention of Georgian scholars 2 .
Special folkloristic expeditions to Abkhazia and Dagestan (1970 and 1988, Georgian Musical-Cho–
reographic Society) were targeted at studying Georgian-Caucasian musical relations. Fieldwork in the Pankisi
Gorge (1985, 1989, Tbilisi State Conservatoire) was partially connected with this issue, and there were also
research trips in different periods organized by the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography (1957).
Unfortunately, due to the complicated political situation it was impossible to launch other planned
expeditions to the North Caucasus.
<strong>The</strong> published material fails to present a complete picture of the musical art of the Caucasian peoples
mentioned above, therefore it cannot be used to fully ascertain its artistic value, though it introduces
the character and specific features of these peoples’ music to a certain extent. <strong>The</strong>re are both earlier and
comparatively later strata of musical cultures, authors’ specimens among them; alongside with the most
ancient songs and instrumental tunes, songs on Soviet themes also occur; sometimes the resemblance between
the cultures and their mutual influence are present; in a number of cases the performers’ incompetence can
be observed, too.
In spite of quite a few insurmountable difficulties we face today (lack of special expeditions and relations
with local highly qualified experts, ignorance of Caucasian languages, the paucity of the available material – in
a number of cases we cannot even get local editions either), we were encouraged to work on the problem by the
vibrant musical material. This time our goal is only to point out the cases of resemblance or difference between
the North Caucasian and Georgian specimens of songs or instrumental music we have selected; the explanation
of the facts of mutual influence is beyond the aims of our study.
Of all the sound recordings included in the audio album we specially singled out Adyghean, Karachai
and Abkhazian specimens more or less associated with Georgian culture 3 . Among the Adyghean-Karachai
these were mainly two-part songs, plain, basically three or four-degree, with the bass part with a strongly
pronounced harmonious function (ezhu);