“O Vineyard Fair and New” (Shen Khar Venakhi) is a medieval Georgian hymn attributed to King Demetrius I of Georgia (1093-1156). It is a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary that has no formal place in Orthodox services but is becoming increasingly popular today as a bride’s processional at the beginning of the Orthodox wedding service. The music is based on an anonymous medieval Georgian melody, one typical of the late medieval Georgian Renaissance, and it is presented here in a well-known transcription by Georgian composer Zakaria Paliashvili (1871-1933). Benedict Sheehan adapted the music for mixed choir, and also crafted, from a literal English translation of the original Georgian text, a new English text to fit the hymn.
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