Lesson 1: Learning “Shina Vorgil”
Aim: How are form, tempo, and harmony used in this traditional Georgian song?
Summary: Students will sing “Shina Vorgil” in choirs; learn about call-and-response form, harmony, and accelerando; and experience spatial effects.
Materials: Musical Explorers digital resources, Musical Explorers Student Guide
Standards: National 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11
Vocabulary: accelerando, call and response, choir, harmony, tempo
Although Georgia is a very small country, the regions within it have their own distinct identities. “Shina Vorgil” comes from Svaneti, a mountainous region with a long tradition of polyphonic music. The Svan language is only spoken by a handful of people today. So while the music still survives, the lyrics often cannot be translated.
“Shina Vorgil”
Choir 1 (CALL):
Shina vorgili vorgili voisa
O shina vorgege eh
(x3)
Choir 2 (RESPONSE):
Shina vorgili vorgili voisa
O shina vorgege eh
(x3)
Choir 1 (CALL):
Vorgili vorgili vorgili voisa
O shina vorgege eh
(x3)
Choir 2 (RESPONSE):
Vorgili vorgili vorgili voisa
O shina vorgege eh
(x3)
Choir 1 (CALL):
Voisa rera voisa vorera
Voisa voisa rera
(x3)
Choir 2 (RESPONSE):
Voisa rera voisa vorera
Voisa voisa rera
(x3)
Choir 1 (CALL):
Voisa voisa vorera
Voisa voisa rera
(x2)
Choir 2 (RESPONSE):
Voisa voisa vorera
Voisa voisa rera
(x2)
Choir 1 (CALL):
Voisa rera voisa vorera
Voisa voisa rera
All:
Voisa rera voisa vorera
Voisa voisa rera
(x3)
Explore Accelerando and Spatial Effects in “Shina Vorgil”
- Explore the form of the song “Shina Vorgil” with your students.
- The phrases are repeated and exchanged through call and response.
- The call and response is between two groups of singers, or choirs, rather than between a single leader and a group. Call and response between two choirs is characteristic of Georgian music.
- Divide the class into two choirs. Sing “Shina Vorgil,” with one choir calling and the other responding.
- Switch parts and sing the song again, this time adding the accelerando. The first choir will control how much faster the song gets.
- Experiment with what happens when the choirs are separated to achieve a spatial effect. Place the choirs in different locations around the room and alter the distance between the two groups. You can also place some students between the choirs as the “audience” so they can experience the effect.
- Reflect with your students on the effect of space on the sound.
- What was it like to sing in different positions?
- How did the sound change depending on where the choirs were standing?
- How did it feel to stand between the two choirs?
- Which way sounded the best?
Explore the Georgian Language
On Explore the Georgian Language (PDF), your students will learn about the Georgian language. They will discover that the language is unrelated to any other language in the world and has its own alphabet.
Musical Word Wall
Add the words accelerando, call and response, choir, harmony, and tempo to the Musical Word Wall.
Don't Forget
Image Credits
View of the Ushguli village at the foot of Mt. Shkhara by Creative Travel Projects.