Georgian Singing

A shaft of sunlight, straight and bright is the only illumination in this room carved from rock. On the edges of the light are singers partly in shadow and partly lit; everything else is shadowy and dark. Then the bass drone begins, the sound filling the chamber and echoing back from the walls. The other voices join in; my world is a whirl of sounds, tones and visceral feeling. If it’s possible to remember back to the womb then this experience would stir up all those memories – the sound vibrates through my body and my head is full of the harmonics.

This is Georgian Polyphonic Singing – no instruments just the pure beauty of the human voice blending and overlapping between the melody the drone and the countenance. Traditionally these songs were used in the fields and activities of rural Georgians as well as a way of keeping their culture alive despite the various invaders who tried to repress them.

There are at least three different types of Polyphonic singing: one sung by men only with a deep bass drone, another from Western Georgia with three sung parts and the last the songs used with ceremonies and festivals with a yodel component.

Nowadays the Georgian music is associated with churches, and they are heard at their best in these beautiful spaces. I prefer the quiet, dark places where the singers can be a mix of gender. It can be quite a surreal experience after hearing the heavenly sounds to stumble out into the daylight and return to earthly life.

UNESCO has classed the singing as an intangible cultural heritage, and I think if you can get an opportunity to hear it you will never forget it.

So, join me and together we will find a cave within a rock church and experience this delight together.