This article tells the interesting story of where, when, and how one of the Kartlian variants of the song “Chakrulo” was recorded. The phrase “one of the Kartlian variants” is used deliberately, as several Kartlian-Kakhetian variants of “Chakrulo” exist.

The collection of Georgian musical folklore began at the end of the nineteenth century through the efforts of distinguished musicians such as Dimitri Arakishvili, Ilia Kargareteli, Zakaria Paliashvili, Zakaria Chkhikvadze, and others.

Particularly rich material was recorded and preserved by the composer, choirmaster, and collector of folk heritage Giorgi Svanidze, who was born and raised in the Kartlian village of Sakasheti. He devoted nearly thirty-five years to collecting examples of folk heritage and oral tradition. For this purpose, he travelled on foot through the villages of Kartli and Kakheti, meeting local peasants and members of the aznauri class^[1], and recording old songs and legends from them.

Svanidze began this work at a time when the country was facing considerable hardship. In 1916, he settled in Gori, in the heart of Kartli, and from there embarked upon the search for and collection of treasures of folk tradition.

From 1938 onwards, Svanidze led the Gori Ethnographic Ensemble. It was in the summer of that year that both the story behind “Chakrulo” and the recording of the song itself took shape.

Tigha Tlashadze’s Account

On a summer morning, Giorgi Svanidze was visited at his home by the renowned Kartlian singer Tigha (Vano) Tlashadze^[2], who was almost one hundred years old. Svanidze had recorded several songs from him some twenty-five years earlier; however, it appears that Tigha still had much to recount. The elderly singer recognised Svanidze and asked:

“Why have you called for me, sir? Have you perhaps omitted and not recorded some song? Tell me, then.”

Svanidze mentioned “Chakrulo”, as at that time he had only recorded its lyrics in several variants.^[3]

Tigha replied:

“My son, that is as difficult to find as licorice root.^[4] That song is known by heart in Kartli by me, Giorgi Tatishvili, and the Kakhetian Mestiashvili. I learnt it from my grandfather, and I also know its history. My grandfather was a great lover of songs, and he would say of ‘Chakrulo’:

‘O Chakrulo, tall in form,
You surpass all others,
He who lacks the voice of heaven
Shall vainly shame himself.’” ^[5]

Tigha Tlashadze then recounted to Svanidze an old legend associated in folk tradition with the origin of “Chakrulo.”

According to his account, in former times a cruel and ruthless mukhranbatoni^[6] oppressed the peasants severely. As a result, many of them attempted to escape his authority. One steadfast peasant, known as “Tsertsva”^[7], was constantly beaten and bruised by the lord. The other peasants would address him in verse:

“Brother Tsertsva, do not persist; why do you sacrifice yourself to this beast?
I advise you, let us escape now, before he skins us alive.” ^[8]

The tale also preserves the figures of several estate stewards — Kisto, Kuzana, and Pilipe. Particularly notable is the story of the steward Pilipe, who one night helped a poor widow with five children escape from the oppression of the lord. Kuzana, a harsh steward, witnessed this act and reported Pilipe to his lord, who then severely flogged him. Kuzana himself is also described as especially cruel:

“Kisto is lame on one leg, and has cast off all sense of honour;
Whoever knows him well cannot understand his true nature…
Kuzana is hunchbacked, though he has no real hump;
In his eyes, even an eagle of the mountains is but a tiny fly…
Pilipe has young children and a heart of pure gold.” ^[9]

In anger, the peasants killed Kuzana, the steward who had denounced Pilipe, the noble-hearted steward who had shared their suffering:

“Nothing will straighten the hunchback unless the earth of the grave,
Kuzana, foul and vile, even in death defiles the ground.” ^[10]

Another steward, Nuguzala, is also said to have served the lord. Folk narrators describe him in particular detail:

“Nuguzala resembles a mythical giant, yet his heart is kind…
His singing of Chakrulo was cherished by many,
Wherever he appeared, he reconciled enemies,
He hated the lord as one would hate plague, and comforted the peasants…” ^[11]

According to Tigha, this verse was traditionally performed to the accompaniment of the panduri.^[12] It was called “Chakochili,” as it requires the “binding together” (i.e. tight coordination) of voices.^[13]

Tigha further explained that he had learnt the song from his grandfather, and later taught it to his companions — Giorgi Tatishvili and Mestiashvili. Thus, it was known by only three people. Initially, they performed it with the panduri and a long text, and later it developed into three-part polyphony. According to Vano Tlashadze himself, the song was originally performed on the panduri and later became polyphonic.^[14]

Later, Mestiasvili taught the song to skilled singers in Kakheti. While it was gradually forgotten in Kartli, it spread in Kakheti.

“I noticed that the old man was very tired and I did not wish to trouble him further,” Svanidze recalls. The following day, he accompanied the elder to the station with great gratitude.^[15]

Tigha Tlashadze belonged to the Tlashadze lineage, which, according to tradition, was resettled by King Vakhtang VI to serve the Danakhvisi Church of Ateni as church attendants and custodians, and was granted land for this purpose. His ancestor is believed to have been the well-known Georgian poet and author of the historical poem Katalikoz-Bakariani, court priest and master chanter, Iese Tlashadze.

Etymology of “Chakrulo”

It is also interesting to consider the name of the song itself — what does the word “Chakrulo” mean, and why was this particular word used to name the song?

The Tlashadze family of Gori has long been distinguished by its tradition of church service, its tradition of chant singing, and its musical talent.^[16] The information relating to the etymology of “Chakrulo” is based on oral accounts, which Giorgi Svanidze recorded from Tigha as well as from another elderly singer, Isaka Dzimistareli.

According to Tigha, “Chakrulo” references chakochva (literally, “tight binding”). Isaka also associates this term with chakruli (“bound tightly”), comparing the performance of the song to the fastening of loads on a cart. He recalls:

“When we placed straw, hay, or other loads on a cart, my father would call out to me: ‘Tie it well, my son, with rope, or it will come loose and people will mock us.’ Just as ‘Chakrulo’ requires powerful and ringing voices, so too can a cart’s load never be too tightly secured.”^[17]

In Svanidze’s view, Chakrulo denotes a powerful, sonorous, and firmly structured song, the performance of which requires strong vocal capacity and considerable skill.^[18]

Illustration: Text of one variant of the song “Chakrulo”, which was studied and revived by the Gori Ethnographic Ensemble “Rikhi”:

“I was a serf of the Mukhranbatoni, wandering from door to door,
Sometimes in the forest, sometimes in the fields, I moved like a troop.
When my mouth grew dry and no one would take pity on me,
I would chew pampara^[19], for I had no other choice.
At times I would pour out ‘Chakrulo’ in the strength of my voice,
At times I would plead with God, saying enough of this suffering.
In the hands of the lord, a loyal man is like a clouded sky,
With his mouth sealed, and his hands bound in a pit.
In the hands of Mukhranbatoni, no peasant finds joy;
Even the honey he bestows tastes more bitter than birthwort.” ^{[20], [21]}

“Chakrulo” is considered one of the most famous examples of Georgian polyphony. It not only demands a high level of musical mastery, but also preserves an important layer of collective folk memory.

As Giorgi Svanidze notes, people would say:

“Chakrulo delights everywhere —
on forest paths or at weddings;
everywhere you escape danger,
its voice is forged in struggle.”^[22]

^[1] Aznnauri — the lower nobility or landed aristocracy in the Georgian context.

^[2] Central Archive of Recent History. Fund no. 50 (Publishing House “Khelovneba”), inventory 2, file no. 436; Svanidze, Giorgi. 2021. Georgian Folk Songs and Associated Legends, Part II, p. 138.

^[3] Svanidze, Giorgi. 2021. Georgian Folk Songs. Archival Materials of the National Centre of Folklore. Tbilisi: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia; Giorgi Erekleishvili Georgian State Folklore Centre. p. 51.

^[4] Licorice (Georgian: dzirtkblila) — a medicinal plant whose root was used in folk medicine.

^[5] Central Archive of Recent History (CARH), Fund no. 50, inventory 2, file no. 436, p. 140.

^[6] Mukhranbatoni — feudal title referring to the Mukhrani branch of the Georgian aristocracy.

^[7] Tsertsva — name of a folktale character (a nickname that literally means “pea”).

^[8] Ibid., p. 142.

^[9] Ibid., p. 144.

^[10] Ibid., p. 143.

^[11] Ibid., p. 149.

^[12] Panduri — traditional Georgian three-stringed fretted lute.

^[13] CARH, Fund no. 50, inv. 2, file no. 436, p. 150.

^[14] CARH, Fund no. 50, inv. 2, file no. 438, p. 152.

^[15] CARH, Fund no. 50, inv. 2, file no. 436, p. 151.

^[16] The descendant of the Tlashadze family, Tekla Napishvili, is a singer and chanter of the Gori School of Traditional Singing.

^[17] Svanidze 2021, pp. 51–54.

^[18] Ibid.

^[19] Pamphara (Lat. Tragopogon) — a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the Asteraceae family, some species of which are edible.

^[20] Birthwort — a plant of the genus Aristolochia, traditionally known in Georgian as dzirmtsara.

^[21] CARH, Fund no. 50, inventory 2, file no. 438, p. 152.

^[22] Svanidze 2021, p. 54.