Thou Art a Vineyard is a Medieval Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 hymn. The text was written by King Demetre I

Demetre I

Demetrius I , from the Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Georgia from 1125 to 1156. He is also known as a poet.-Life:Demetrius was the eldest son of King David the Builder by his first wife Rusudan...

 (Demetrius I) of Georgia (1093-1156 AD). The composer of the music is unknown. The hymn is dedicated to Georgia and the patronage of the Virgin Mary; it is also a prayer of praise to Mary in the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Thou Art a Vineyard is usually sung by a choir

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

 without instrumental accompaniment and is a classic example of Georgian choral music.

Compositionally, the hymn is characterized as very polyphonic and is representative of the late Medieval traditions of the Georgian Renaissance.

Text of Thou Art a Vineyard

Georgian Version: შენ ხარ ვენახი, ახლად აყვავებული, ნორჩი კეთილი, ედემს შინა ნერგული, და თავით თვისით მზე ხარ და გაბრწყინვებული.

English Transliteration: shen khar venakhi, akhlad aqvavebuli. norchi k'etili, edems shina nerguli. da tavit tvisit mze khar da gabrts'qinvebuli.

English Translation: You are a vineyard newly blossomed. Young, beautiful, growing in Eden, You yourself are the sun, shining brilliantly.

Media

External links

• The Recovering Choir Director - http://www.cantemusdomino.net/2005/08/02/shen-khar-venakhi/
• Sample Music by Kitka - http://www.kitka.org/music/qt/ShenKharVenakhi.html