weaving Voices 01.04.2025 issuu - Flipbook - Page 52
Banquet
The Georgian songs served as a catalyst for the members of the group
to get together for a supra or traditional banquet. We were not just
interested in the songs, but also in the culture behind them, which is
why we programmed a ‘Georgian-style’ banquet in the first week of the
Weaving Voices project, held at the Roy Hart Centre. It was an opportunity
for participants to experience a banquet where we listen to each other, a
concept dear to Georgians.76 In so doing, we combined the pleasures of
the palate and the ears, the celebration of the present moment and the
start of an adventure that would take us to six European countries. For
the occasion, a Georgian chef had prepared dishes typical of his country
and Laurent had taken on the role of tamada: the master of ceremonies
during a supra. Inspired by Georgian tradition, the meal was punctuated
by songs and speeches of remarkable intensity. All the guests were invited
to express themselves on personal subjects, the inescapable rule being
that only positive words should be spoken at the Georgian table. It was
an unforgettable evening that brought us together in a very cohesive way.
We hope that everyone will experience this special banquet at least once
in their lives, where listening and giving go hand in hand: “That which we
give makes us richer, that which is hoarded is lost” – as Shota Rustaveli,
the 12th century Georgian poet, put it.77
Songs that have a special connection for us
Among the Georgian songs we have worked with in our Weaving Voices
group, there are two in particular that have had a strong impact on us.
The first is the song Iavnana Bat’onebo, which has a special place in the
Georgian repertoire because unlike almost all the pieces of this repertoire,
it is a two-voice rather than three-voice song. It is one of those songs
whose context has evolved to the point where its use and meaning have
changed over time. It belongs to the category of healing songs, which
includes hundreds of songs and many regional variations. It has therefore
been used for centuries in a therapeutic context.78 The text of Iavnana
Bat’onebo clearly addresses the spirits of illness (the Bat’onebi) and
gently invites them to leave the patient’s body. Traditionally, this song was
sung only by women. It has two voices so that it can be performed in the
event that there are only two women present at the bedside. In the past,
Georgians believed that when someone was ill, it was because they were
visited by a ‘spirit of illness’. Now that this belief has faded, this song (like
others in the same category) is used as a lullaby, because of its extreme
gentleness.
Let us mention two personal examples of how our colleagues have used
the song in their daily lives. The nephew of Rosa Smits (partner from Tuyo
Foundation, Amsterdam), who is now six months old, is a very calm and
happy baby most of the time, but recently, during a walk in the forest,
he started to panic and wouldn’t stop crying. It was not until Rosa sang
Iavnana Bat’onebo to him that he finally calmed down. Since then, Rosa’s
sister sometimes calls her to sing “The Song” to her nephew again! The
two sisters are convinced that this song, even sung in monody (one voice
only), can still ward off certain evil spirits...
Nikolett and Géza Pintér-Németh (partners from Sinum Association,
Hungary), who became parents in September 2023, i.e. during our
Erasmus+ project, have also found that Iavnana Bat’onebo works wonders
for calming their daughter down and putting her to sleep, whether in a
single or two-part version. As a result, they too have adopted this melody
as a reference song, which they sing very frequently to their newborn.
When he is alone singing Iavnana Bat’onebo while rocking his daughter,
Géza has noticed that the soothing and soporific effect is accentuated
when he slows down the singing to an extreme and amplifies the
resonance of his chest in direct contact with the child’s body, combining
this sound production with a little dance from one foot to the other.
The result is that these moments of falling asleep are beneficial for both
the child and the adult, as Géza finds in this practice, a way of gaining
presence by concentrating and working on his voice.
ence for this song, sung by the Georgian women of the Mzetamze Ensemble:
Khertlis Naduri - Mzetamze Ensemble (2022) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHJfn_mznHM [Accessed 22 Jun. 2024].
76 In Georgia today, the supra is the main place to hear traditional songs, much more so than a concert.
77 Manuscript of ‘The Knight in Panther’s Skin’ (2021) United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/ungifts/content/manuscript-of-the-knight-in-panther-skin [Accessed 22 Jun. 2024].
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78 Ethnomusicological studies prove that Georgian songs in several voices already existed in ancient times.
The 昀椀rst references to these songs date back to the 8 th and 4 th centuries BC. They were work songs and war
songs, which fact supports the idea that the music had a very strong social role.
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