Page 307 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 307
the (non-)ser iousness of cultur e: the case of the lithuanian oper etta
After the disappointing reception of the first shows, the Popular Op-
era ceased to exist.33
Now one could say that the ideas and methods of Petrauskas corre-
sponded to those of the then current musical comedies. His goal was to cre-
ate a school for young people so that they could learn the performing arts
and flourish in this field, except that his idea had no economic plan, no sol-
id financial basis when compared to musicals, and was instead more edu-
cational in intent.
Conclusion: Between the opera and the cabaret
The operetta in Lithuania between the two world wars was considered nei-
ther a serious art nor an entertainment. It was considered as something
in-between opera and the cabaret concerts given in the luxurious restau-
rants of the capital (like Metropolis or Versalis) or upmarket cafés (like
Konrad).
The operetta failed to expand the space it needed to function, and this
may be the main reason why it never became a fully fledged genre in Lithu-
ania. On the one hand, the opera occupied the entire space of musical high
culture, while on the other, the cabaret monopolised that of entertainment.
The genre of operetta was thus denied a very important source of rev-
enue, while the cabaret offered audiences entertainment with variety songs
that presented in a theatrical way comic or lyrical situations drawn from
daily life. The parodies, monologues, funny stories or love stories were sung
and staged very professionally by the stars of variety shows, such as Dan-
ielius Dolskis or Antanas Šabaniauskas. The operetta was therefore neither
professional nor profitable enough compared to the opera and cabaret.
In today’s Lithuanian culture, however, the operetta has found its
rightful place since it is no longer considered as a danger to either the na-
tional culture or the professional reputations of singers or musicians. It oc-
cupies a specific and stable niche in the cultural economy, although it has
still not attracted the interest of Lithuanian composers.
To sum up
− The inter-war period was far too short (around 20 years) for the
development of opera and operetta at the same time.
33 Ibid., 72.
305
After the disappointing reception of the first shows, the Popular Op-
era ceased to exist.33
Now one could say that the ideas and methods of Petrauskas corre-
sponded to those of the then current musical comedies. His goal was to cre-
ate a school for young people so that they could learn the performing arts
and flourish in this field, except that his idea had no economic plan, no sol-
id financial basis when compared to musicals, and was instead more edu-
cational in intent.
Conclusion: Between the opera and the cabaret
The operetta in Lithuania between the two world wars was considered nei-
ther a serious art nor an entertainment. It was considered as something
in-between opera and the cabaret concerts given in the luxurious restau-
rants of the capital (like Metropolis or Versalis) or upmarket cafés (like
Konrad).
The operetta failed to expand the space it needed to function, and this
may be the main reason why it never became a fully fledged genre in Lithu-
ania. On the one hand, the opera occupied the entire space of musical high
culture, while on the other, the cabaret monopolised that of entertainment.
The genre of operetta was thus denied a very important source of rev-
enue, while the cabaret offered audiences entertainment with variety songs
that presented in a theatrical way comic or lyrical situations drawn from
daily life. The parodies, monologues, funny stories or love stories were sung
and staged very professionally by the stars of variety shows, such as Dan-
ielius Dolskis or Antanas Šabaniauskas. The operetta was therefore neither
professional nor profitable enough compared to the opera and cabaret.
In today’s Lithuanian culture, however, the operetta has found its
rightful place since it is no longer considered as a danger to either the na-
tional culture or the professional reputations of singers or musicians. It oc-
cupies a specific and stable niche in the cultural economy, although it has
still not attracted the interest of Lithuanian composers.
To sum up
− The inter-war period was far too short (around 20 years) for the
development of opera and operetta at the same time.
33 Ibid., 72.
305
