The Fifth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony ...

276
Simha Arom, Polo Vallejo
Let us now look at the relationship that is established between the various degrees:
*<strong>The</strong> II degree does not appear
This diagram shows that the degrees that have the greatest potential for connections are VI and VII (which
are linked with the same degrees), and then I and IV; these are followed by V and lastly III.
In the mode of A there are a limited number of songs with the III degree which is only related with
the IV degree.
<strong>The</strong> following degrees are reciprocal.
I VI I VII III IV IV V IV VI
V VI V VII VI VII
We do not find reciprocal relationships of the types:
I - IV - I / I - V - I / I - VI - I / IV – VII – IV / VI - III - VI /
Between the degrees I - III, I - V and III - V, there is no type of relationship.
Between the degrees I – IV, VI – III and VII – III, there is only a unidirectional relationship.
Conclusion
<strong>The</strong> title of this work – “Outline of a Syntax of Chords in some songs from Samegrelo” – represents
another step in the continuity that our investigation is pursuing: the study of the Georgian polyphonic language
and the principles that underlie its harmonic system. As for the previous phase, this presentation must be seen
as a provisional step in a long-term project and from the perspective of a complement to the investigations
carried out by our Georgian colleagues. In this case, the need to delimit the field of investigation led us to get
to know the music of the region of Samegrelo to try to find in it specific elements that distinguish it from the
forms found in other regions of Georgia.
Immediately after concluding the 5th <strong>Symposium</strong> at which we gave this presentation, and for the
purpose of acquiring new material of our own, we travelled to the region of Samegrelo accompanied by two
outstanding members of the Ensemble Basiani, Giorgi Donadze and Zurab Tskrialashvili, who took charge of
making the relevant contacts and handled the translation work.
Over the course of a week, we visited, and intensively listened to and recorded the music of various
ensembles, groups of adult men and women, young people and children, in the cities of Tsalenjikha,
Chkhorotsku and Zugdidi, and were able to work directly with personalities of Georgian folk culture such as
Policarpe Khubulava. Afterwards, and once we had transcribed and analyzed the music of Samegrelo, we were
able to confirm most of the data and hypotheses that appear in this document.
In this investigation we again used the earlier analytical tools: notation of degrees and chords, separation
of parameters (modes and intervals) and processes (cadences and harmonic syntax). From the reduction of a
given piece to the essential harmonies, and in order to validate our method, we created 4 versions (in the modes