Sunday, 27 January 2008
Polyphonic singing
When me and William were in Georgia last year we were lucky enough to be taken to see a young mens' choir rehearsing traditional Georgian polyphonic singing. I knew I had wanted to hear it whilst in Tbilisi, as I had heard records and thought it the most extraordinary thing - it genuinely sounded like nothing else, and while in many cultures I can see the links between the folk music with other areas nearby, this seemed almost implausibly unique. A friend of our good friend took us into this old building in the old town, up some twisting stairs and into a corridoor that echoed with the sounds of different groups of boys singing. We were not sure which door to go through as we didn't want to interrupt, but soon scruffy teenagers came out with a grin for a cigarette break and we went into a room. Everyone smiled and we sat on a rickety bench. I looked up at the group of maybe eight teenage boys laughing at us whilst one of them who was about to conduct gave them strict looks. It looked like they were just doing this for a laugh, but then they opened their mouths - it was simply extraordinary. At one point I felt tears come to my eyes in a cliche it was so beautiful... Sadly I don't have a recording of these young men but here is link to a website with a general overview of singing in the different regions and some interesting old recordings.
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2 comments:
Did you hear the singning in orthodox churches? it's very impressing too.
No I didn't, but I would love to...
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