The Fifth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony ...

A Comparative and Interdisciplinary Study of East Georgian Polyphonic Song
Styles in the Context of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Monophonic Music
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range in south-east Georgia) culture (2500-1000 BC), which succeeded the Mtkvari-Araxes culture in eastern
Transcaucasia (East Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). Trialeti culture featured new significant ethnic and
cultural elements such as, for example, the burial rites of individual tumulus. Archaeologists have interpreted
this novelty in culture as a result of foreign influences rather than as a result of internal changes (Japaridze,
1988: 26; Lortkipanidze, 1989: 37-38).
A similar “migration” theory was proposed by Charles Burney who described the Trialeti barrow culture
of the early Samtavro (1800-1750 BC) in East Georgia as having developed out of the fusion of two completely
different elements, one related to the steppes north of the Caucasus and the other related to the Araxes valley of
eastern Transcaucasia (Burney, 1958: 175). <strong>The</strong> former is assumed to be of the Indo-European origin (Burney,
206-207).
I do not discuss the data of physical anthropology yet. However, I must note that data of physical
anthropology from the Samtavro graveyard of the plain East Georgia corresponds with the discussed
archaeological and linguistic theories about the infusion of the newcomers of a supposedly Indo-European
origin in the territory of the present Kartli-Kakheti and the neighbouring regions of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
For example, the Samtavro cranial group in the Trialeti culture is related to the ancient West Asian Caspian
anthropological type of population also represented in a synchronic series from Afghanistan, North India,
Armenia and Azerbaijan (Alexeev, 1974: 137).
In conclusion, the methods of interdisciplinary study using data of physical anthropology, archaeology,
linguistics and musicology might help in interpreting the musical-comparative analysis in relation to early
historical or even pre-historical processes. <strong>The</strong> hypothesis of music-cultural links between East Georgia
(Kartli-Kakheti), south Transcaucasia and Central Asia proposed in the first part of this paper, is thus supported
by the archaeological, linguistic and anthropological data. According to my hypothesis, the elements of
monodic music-culture in the Kartli-Kakhetian polyphonic music (and the solo singing style) are the result of
the ancient arrival from Central Asia of the Indo-Europeans who had music-culture similar to that employed
by the contemporary Armenians, Azerbaijanians, and the peoples of Central Asia, and the mixture between
these different cultures.
According to the musical analysis undertaken by the seven selected style factors, Kartli-Kakhetian “long”
songs seem to be a stylistic combination of the indigenous polyphonic music which was prior to the Indo-
European migration and the monodic music-making which came here with the Indo-Europeans (Tsitsishvili,
1997, 2000).
<strong>The</strong> introduction of the new elements of monody such as vocal style with melisma, tetrachordal scales,
freely improvised rhythm and free metre must have caused substantial transformation of the indigenous
polyphonic style. One of the most substantial changes of style seems to be the emergence of pedal drone in
“long” songs. <strong>The</strong> ornamentation, rhythmic and metric freedom could be easily accommodated within a pedal
drone-based polyphony. That the pedal drone in combination with the melismatic melody and free metric and
rhythmic development must have developed after and as a result of the introduction of ornamentation and free
rhythm can also be supported by the intriguing fact of the absence of this style in West Georgian polyphonic
singing styles. At the same time it must be noted, that despite all the above-discussed important stylistic
changes in the “long” songs, the most important element of the indigenous singing style – vocal polyphony
survived, creating a completely new vocal polyphonic style and aesthetics.