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77Georgia is usually divided into fifteen ethnographic regions (see the map). Someof them are very big, such as Kartli, Kakheti or Imereti, but some of them are very small– particularly in the northeastern part of Georgia.Without going into a detailed analysis of each ethnographic region, let me firstbriefly discuss the general characteristics of Georgian polyphony, and then we’llconcentrate on the main stylistic features of the major regions.(1)(2)Two-, three- and four-part singing is spread through different regionsof Georgia, with two-part singing mostly in the mountainousNortheastern regions of the East Georgia, and four-part singing in theSouthwestern part of Georgia. Three-part singing is the mostwidespread throughout Georgia;There is no tradition of group unison singing in Georgia, somonophonic songs are performed by individual singers;( 3) There are more than sixty terms indicating the names and thefunctions of different parts of the polyphonic texture. There has beencontroversy over the traditional terminology of such names as the“first”, “second” and “third” parts. Later it became clear that themiddle part of the song is the “first part”, as it is the main melodic partof the song. The “second” part is the top part, and the third is the bass(M. Jordania, 1972);(4) The individual singers always sing main melodic parts, and the groupusually sings the bass. In the tradition of “trio” songs (in westernGeorgia) the bass is also performed by the solo performer. In four-partwestern Georgian harvest songs there are actually two basses – one is apedal drone in the middle of the texture, and another is a melodicallyactive low base;(5) Drone and ostinato are the two most important principles of polyphonyin all regions of Georgia;(6) Sharp dissonant chords are in high esteem in Georgian traditionalpolyphony.Georgia can be divided into eastern and western parts, as well as into northern andsouthern parts. The east-west division is generally considered to be stylistically moreimportant. The north-south division generally follows the natural division between thehigh mountainous northern and relatively flat southern regions.