Locomotive Breath and Acharuli Gandagana

    

     In an effort to compare the two music types--Jethro Tull and Georgian folk music--to the best of my abilities, I decided to look specifically at one musical piece from each type. I chose a popular song from Jethro Tull called "Locomotive Breath" because it contains many of the instruments used in Jethro Tull, and I believe that it is a pretty good representation of Jethro Tull's music. For Georgian folk music, I chose "Acharuli Gandagana," performed by Basiani, because it is a traditional dance song that seems to encompass both vocal and instrumental parts of Georgian folk music.

     Both pieces begin with an instrumental introduction, which in "Locomotive Breath" showcases the bass and electric guitars and drums in a fast-paced 4/4 time. This is the norm of many of Jethro Tull’s pieces, and therefore is a decent example of Jethro Tull’s music as a whole. In "Acharuli" the introduction also includes drums, a chunriri and panduri as string instruments, and a salamuri as a wind instrument, but the time signature is 2/4. In both pieces, the instruments crescendo throughout this introduction, building tension in the music until the vocals join.

Acharuli Dance, photo by: "Georgia About."
Georgia About. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. 

     When the vocals do have their entrance into the music, the instruments pull back to allow these vocals a prominent spot in the music. At this point the pieces go different directions; "Locomotive" has a single vocal melodic line that is complemented by a flute countermelody. The vocal melody is supported by vocal harmonies from the other members of the band. Throughout the middle and climax of the music the drums and guitars keep the rhythm, with an occasional guitar solo part. "Acharuli" has a call-and-response line, with multiple, clearly defined, contrasting melodies. This is consistent with what I learned about the distinct vocal parts of Georgian folk music. "Locomotive" pulls back toward the end of the song only slightly before ending the song with the same fast tempo and forte dynamic. Unlike the abrupt ending of "Locomotive Breath," "Acharuli" ends with a decrescendo and a ritardando, which is a more popular way to end a song (Georgian).

   
The following links should lead to the videos that I used to analyze these songs:

"Locomotive Breath":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWubhw8SoBE

"Acharuli Gandagana":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUphzRwo17k