Georgian folk music is a living yet ancient tradition. Most songs, both sacred and secular, are sung unaccompanied in three-part harmony, symbolically associated with the Trinity. Unlike western music, the Georgian scale is based on the fifth rather than the octave. There are considerable regional differences in singing styles, and some songs, particularly from the Caucasus Mountains in the north of the country, are known to date from pre-Christian times.

Singing is an essential component of Georgia’s legendary hospitality and comprises a major part of the Georgian feast or supra. A supra can last for several hours and will include long and eloquent toasts, each followed by an appropriate song. There is considerable interest in Georgian singing among the young people of the country and all the major choirs support youth choirs of a high standard, whose members keep the tradition going.

Australia is a country rich in diversity, culturally and geographically, a richness embodied in our music which embraces all genres and styles, is both steeped in tradition, and at the forefront of innovation and experimentation.

TRADITIONAL

Music and song are inseparable in Indigenous cultures and part of unbroken traditions dating back thousands of years. Music is found in ceremony and important community activity in all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Cultures. Aboriginal songmen are revered custodians of the songs which represent rich and distinct oral traditions in each community. Sacred and secular songs are also integral to Torres Strait island life and can include western style harmonies derived from contact with other cultures.