Polyphonies ‘in viva voce’ 11. //Female Polyphonies from Georgia

This year the eleventh edition is dedicated to female polyphonies from Georgia.
The evening concert for this year’s seminar features the female polyphonic group Mzetamtze, created in 1987. Now also well-known outside Georgia, they perform songs both from the traditional repertoire and recently composed music, a sign of the continuity and vitality of Georgian polyphony.
The afternoon seminar session, aimed at furthering knowledge about the musical features and cultural aspects of Georgian polyphonic practices, is attended by some leading experts in analysing and classifying polyphonic practice: Maurizio Agamennone, Simha Arom, Polo Vallejo and Nato Zumbadze.
Many musicologists have for long considered and described Georgia as the “cradle” of polyphony in Europe, on the grounds of its great exuberance and variety of procedures and genres found in the practices of ensemble singing in the region. Although this interpretation has gradually been put back in perspective, Georgian polyphonic phenomena are still undoubtedly extremely lively and complex. Indeed for Georgians, singing in groups is an almost spontaneous everyday custom. Although mainly a male practice and often associated with convivial experiences, in Georgia there are also female polyphonies found in arguably less ostentatious occasions, but equally important in social and cultural terms, with fascinating musical results.

Venice, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
28 November 2007, Seminar 16.00 – Concert 20.30

Information
Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies
tel. +39 041 2710357
e-mail: musica.comparata@cini.it