Developed over the centuries, the traditions and styles of performance have been handed down from generation to generation by outstanding singers, many of whom founded their own schools and whose memory lives on in the minds of the Georgian people.

Georgian folk music is one of the most important elements in the treasure house of Georgian spiritual culture, an aural chronicle of Georgia's centuries-old history.

The specific geography of Georgia, its historic and social conditions have brought about the development of a number of dialects, both linguistic and musical, that are named after the respective place-names: Kakheti, Kartli, Racha, Svaneti, Megrelia, Imereti, Guria, Ajaria and others. The musical dialects of all those regions differ in rhythm, intonation, texture and harmony, whole sharing one common feature: polyphonic singing. Georgia folk songs mostly contain three voice-parts. However, four-part labour songs are encountered in Guria and Ajaria. In these parts of Western Georgia a distinctive kind of figurative polyphonic-singing is widespread "krimanchuli" or "gankivani", a type of yodel.

Georgian folk music, featuring complex, three-part, polyphonic harmonies, has long been a subject of special interest among musicologists. There are many talented folk groups in Georgia whose common purpose is to revive and preserve Georgian folk music. The Rustavi Choir, formed in 1968, is the best known Georgian group performing a traditional repertoire.

In today's Georgia, folk songs are most frequently sung around the table. The ceremonial dinner (supra), a frequent occurrence in Georgian homes, is a highly ritualized event that itself forms a direct link to Georgia's past. On such occasions, rounds of standardized and improvised toasts typically extend long into the night.

 

Georgian songs and music on the Audio CDs Rustavi Choir: Oath At Khidistavi-Heroic Song Audio CD (January 20, 1998) Price: $13.99 by amazon.com Price: $13.99 by cdnow.com Rustavi Choir: Georgian Voices Audio CD (November 14, 1989) Price: $13.49 by amazon.com Price: $13.49 by cdnow.com Marani: Soupra - The Georgian Banquet Audio CD (October 13, 1998) Price: $12.99 by amazon.com Price: $12.99 by cdnow.com Kartuli Musika / L Issakadze, Georgisches Kammerorchester Audio CD (January 10, 1996) Price: $16.99 by amazon.com