me regvenma p’at’ardzalma (3 voices)

Performance and Program Notes

This piece is an equal-voiced setting, with the narrow ranges of each part typical of many Georgian folk songs. It can be sung in the written key nicely by middle school-age or older mixed groups, or women’s groups with some older women who are comfortable with the occasional F below middle C in the bani (bass) part. It could be transposed up a step or so for use with young children, but singing the piece any higher than that will change the desired traditional folk tone quality of the sound. Any kind of octave doubling, either above or below, is not characteristic of the Georgian folk tradition and is not recommended.

This comic song was made popular by choir director Maro Tarkhnishvili (1891 – 1969). She was the rst woman to achieve

Tso – mi mi-ts’a-ze mov-zi-le, varts-li ver mo – vi-go – ne – o!

widespread success as a folk choir director in 20th century Georgia, leading a mixed choir at a time when most other choirs and directors were exclusively male. Her success and popularity allowed her to bring songs into her choir’s repertoire that might not have been sung by men. Me Regvenma P’at’ardzalma is one such song.