Georgian Folk Music

Georgian folk music is the traditional vocal and instrumental music of Georgia in the Caucasus, defined above all by a polyphonic singing tradition that predates Christianity in the region. Songs are typically sung in three independent voice parts over a slowly moving bass, using tuning systems, dissonances and melodic ornaments unlike Western harmony. Regional schools differ sharply: Gurian songs use the krimanchuli yodel, Kakheti is known for long-breathed table songs, and work, wedding, healing and funeral repertoires each have fixed forms. Accompaniment, when present, comes from the panduri and chonguri lutes, the salamuri flute and the chuniri fiddle.