| Title: |
Performing Ensembles and Living Traditions of Music and Dance in Achara |
| Authors: |
Bithell, Caroline |
| Source: |
Bithell, C 2024, 'Performing Ensembles and Living Traditions of Music and Dance in Achara', Paper presented at The Twelfth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony, Tbilisi, Georgia, 25/09/24 - 28/09/24. |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Collection: |
The University of Manchester: Research Explorer - Publications |
| Subject Terms: |
Georgia (Caucasus); Achara; traditional music and dance; folk ensembles; musical sustainability |
| Description: |
Rural populations are the direct inheritors of ancestral music and dance traditions. The conditions that support cultural activity in Georgia's regions have, however, changed significantly over time, with much music-making now focused on performing ensembles. In this paper I examine ensemble culture in present-day Achara, with the ensemble viewed figuratively as a multimodal, polyphonic entity. What role do ensembles play in keeping music and dance alive in the villages? How do ensemble members align their responsibilities as culture-bearers presenting their heritage on stage with spontaneous music-making in domestic settings? How critical are the ensembles to the sustainability of a living tradition? More broadly, I am interested in how recent revitalisation trends have unfolded at the interface between Soviet legacies, administrative restructuring, UNESCO-style safeguarding strategies, government-funded programmes, the continuation of family traditions, and individual initiatives. What might be gained from viewing the ensemble not as an entity that operates in a space apart from primary, everyday music-making, but as a vital lynchpin that focuses attention and support for musical activity at community level as well as on the concert stage? |
| Document Type: |
conference object |
| Language: |
English |
| Availability: |
https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/17b2baad-3b01-4fb6-998b-2898a4eba2bb; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OAddUCWuBV8Yqjya46RGxsz0a8lrInQz/view |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.EEA77FD3 |
| Database: |
BASE |