VIDEO: The first recordings in the Georgian Republic. Mtao gadmishvi 1909 (youtube.com)

The first recordings in the Georgian Republic
Choir of Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, Sandro Kavsadze, director.
mtao gadmishvi, recorded 1909 (Gramophone C6-12996, matrix # 9419L; 02:46)
7. Mtao Gadmishvi ("0 Mountain, Let Me Go")

A melancholy lament sung by a lover who has lost his beloved to another. Once again, Sandro Kavsadze sings the solo.
Choir of Tbilisi

Sandro Kavsadze (1874-1939), director Tracks 4-8

Aleksandre Kavsadze, or Sandro, as he preferred, was born in the village of Khovle, in the region of Kaspi. He studied lirurgicalchant with Father Grigol (an orthodox priest) and later in church school at Gori. He became a choirmaster under the tutelage of the renowned folk singer, Simon Goglichidze. Young Sandro was recognized for his unique vocal talent, and was accepted into the first professional choir established in Georgia, under the direction of Ado Aghniashvili. Sandro quickly became very popular, and soon formed his own choirs, first in Gori, and then in Tbilisi. He directed the choir in Tbilisi until 1911, when he passed the direction to his nephew, Mikheil. At this time, Sandro moved to the province of Imereti, to work in the towns of Tkibuli and Chiatura, where he formed new choirs. He worked more than 20 years in Imereti. Sandro Kavsadze is remembered in Georgia to this day as one of the great masters of Kakhetian song, as director, teacher and performer. His choir was one of the first to record folk songs in the 1900s. Unfortunately, no record survives documenting who the singers in his choir were, and so they remain anonymous. Sandro Kavsadze died in 1939.

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