The Fifth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony ...

144
Natalia Zumbadze, Ketevan Matiashvili
According to the musical parameters we divided the Adyghean songs into recitative, dancing, incantation
and lullaby-type groups. According to their verbal text Hatkhi’s Son Mhamet and Goshaghagh 4 , included in
the first group, are heroic-epic songs. <strong>The</strong> song Hatkhi’s Son Mhamet with its initial intonation, recitativetype
melody, drone and voice coordination is associated with East Georgian (Kakhetian) lullabies sung by
the sanctuary slaves when walking round the church in a devotional ritual; and (more rarely) with dirges
accompanied by the bass part (audio ex. 1, 2). Ghoshaghagh also resembles the dirges with the bass part,
though the bass part formula (I-VII-VI-I, I-VII-VI-II-I) of both Adyghean songs differs from that of the
Georgian one. In the Georgian song, the recitative-type tune, as a rule, is accompanied by the bass part with
two functions only (I-VII-I). <strong>The</strong> solution of the sixth degree in the first one also causes a significant change in
the bass part, which, in principle, is alien to the Georgian song in general – here the sixth-degree changes into
the central tone via the seventh (it should be noted in advance, that such a movement of the bass part [VI-I] is
characteristic of Karachai songs as well) (audio ex. 3, 4).
<strong>The</strong> dancing-type songs, as a rule, begin with the bass part. In this respect they are close to the two-part
specimens of western Georgia, namely: by the tune, structure, the basic three-degree formula (I-III-II) of the
bass part; by its humorous nature the song Khuzhe 5 resembles the song Chaguna, recorded in Lechkhumi in
1967. <strong>The</strong> Adyghean specimen differs from the Georgian one by the triple metre (in Georgian the duple metre
is observed). Khuzhe is reminiscent of the Shavshian Chakuna and Vodalia (the bass part formula: VII-II-I)
(audio ex. 5-7). <strong>The</strong> Bride’s Song, by its structure and the bass part formula, built on interjections, greatly
resembles not only West Georgian but East Georgian dancing songs as well, though in comparison with the
former song it greatly differs from the Georgian by its tune. It may also be compared with the Shavshian
dancing song Patiko (bass part formula I-II-III-II-I-VII), Rasho Rera and Vorsa da Varada (which have a more
advanced bass part: I-II-III-II-I, VII-V-VI-VII). <strong>The</strong> humorous Shagirei 6 is closer to the Megrelian Chaguna,
Harira, Shavshain and Georgian humorous songs in general. It is noteworthy that the Adyghean dancing-type
songs are performed with percussion instrument – Pkhatschit, replaced by clapping in Georgian dancing songs.
In comparison with the Georgian songs the homophonic songs are also interesting. <strong>The</strong> incantationtype
Hantseguashe (a song to bring rain during a drought), performed by men in unison, is one of the most
ancient specimens belonging to the devotional-ritual genre of Adyghean 7 . By its descending intonation of a
small-range (fourth), it resembles the Georgian two-part Kviriola, which has the same function (sung during a
drought or stormy weather), it was recorded in the village of Etsera in 1946 (ex. 1; audio ex. 8). <strong>The</strong> incantation
character of the Svan song, the dominant sounding of the fourth and its social function gave grounds to Shalva
Aslanishvili, who had recorded it, to presume that “it is a remnant of the most ancient two-part singing”
(Aslanishvili, 1954: 30). Hantseguashe is also reminiscent of an Acharian Lazariko, song of the children’s
repertory dedicated to controlling the weather, and Mitvla Leonaze, a Rachian song about catching birds (ex.
2; audio ex. 9).
Our interest in the cradle songs composed by M. Ordokva was caused by its closeness to the traditional
Adyghean lullabies (ex. 3). Its parallel can be found in the West Georgian (Svan and Acharian) Nana (lullaby).
At the end of every stanza the incantation word lau-lau-lau corresponds to the Georgian nana, nanina, nanila.
<strong>The</strong> cadential phrase, terminating each stanza, is attested in the lullaby accompanied by the Svan Chuniri, the
Acharan Nana recorded in the village of Didachara in 1932, is completely built on this movement; though the
modal context of both songs is different from the Circassian (audio ex. 10, 11).
Another proof of Adyghean polyphonic thinking is performing the multipart song in a monophonic
manner. A specimen of this is the song Hachtuqva 8 . <strong>The</strong> use of the bass-part degrees (in the given case VII and