Page 146 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2020. Konservatoriji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela ▪︎ The conservatories: professionalisation and specialisation of musical activity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 4
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konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
as cities inhabited by foreigners. Despite all that, the Lithuanian nation
preserved a healthy ethnic foundation, i. e., the Lithuanian village that
produced a rather small, nonetheless, active cultural elite of peasant origin
which predetermined the progress of an independent state. Over a dozen
years of independence, Lithuania developed into a stable and integral state
with strong strata of farmers and townspeople–officials, with increasing
numbers of Lithuanian residents in cities, and with intellectuals having
acquired education in universities abroad.
The development of the state ceased in 1940 when the USSR occupied
and annexed Lithuania. Its physical and spiritual destruction began:
deportation of people to Siberia, ruination of national heritage, and forced
inculcation of the communist worldview. In 1944, as the Red Army was
appropaching, over 80,000 of people, frightened by repressions, fled to
the West. The majority of refugees were writers, composers, teachers,
actors, and music performers. The second Soviet occupation lasted until
1990. The vacancies in schools and theatres were occupied by specialists
and ideologists having come from Russia. The process of Sovietisation
immediately affected the spheres of culture in education: thus, in 1945, a
reform of music schools was launched.
Establishment and Operation of Lithuanian Music Schools
In the late 19th and the early 20th century, music in Lithuania could be learnt:
1. in the manors of noblemen where orchestra musicians were
trained;
2. in Russian schools; and
3. by taking private lessons from foreign teachers.
However, Lithuania especially needed music teachers and church organists,
and there were no institutions to train them. Moreover, at the very beginning
of the 20th century, manor orchestras ceased to exist, Russian schools closed
during the war, and just private teachers remained. One of them was Juozas
Naujalis (1869–1934), a resident of Kaunas, an organist, and a graduate of
the Warsaw Institute of Music; in 1892, he held the courses for organists at
his own place; in 1913, they were reorganised into a school for organists and
conductors. Soon afterwards, he had an idea of setting up a music school for
everybody wishing to learn music. In 1917, he approached the Germans who
controlled Kaunas at the time and received an official permission; however,
he failed to find either premises or instruments, and the music school was
144
as cities inhabited by foreigners. Despite all that, the Lithuanian nation
preserved a healthy ethnic foundation, i. e., the Lithuanian village that
produced a rather small, nonetheless, active cultural elite of peasant origin
which predetermined the progress of an independent state. Over a dozen
years of independence, Lithuania developed into a stable and integral state
with strong strata of farmers and townspeople–officials, with increasing
numbers of Lithuanian residents in cities, and with intellectuals having
acquired education in universities abroad.
The development of the state ceased in 1940 when the USSR occupied
and annexed Lithuania. Its physical and spiritual destruction began:
deportation of people to Siberia, ruination of national heritage, and forced
inculcation of the communist worldview. In 1944, as the Red Army was
appropaching, over 80,000 of people, frightened by repressions, fled to
the West. The majority of refugees were writers, composers, teachers,
actors, and music performers. The second Soviet occupation lasted until
1990. The vacancies in schools and theatres were occupied by specialists
and ideologists having come from Russia. The process of Sovietisation
immediately affected the spheres of culture in education: thus, in 1945, a
reform of music schools was launched.
Establishment and Operation of Lithuanian Music Schools
In the late 19th and the early 20th century, music in Lithuania could be learnt:
1. in the manors of noblemen where orchestra musicians were
trained;
2. in Russian schools; and
3. by taking private lessons from foreign teachers.
However, Lithuania especially needed music teachers and church organists,
and there were no institutions to train them. Moreover, at the very beginning
of the 20th century, manor orchestras ceased to exist, Russian schools closed
during the war, and just private teachers remained. One of them was Juozas
Naujalis (1869–1934), a resident of Kaunas, an organist, and a graduate of
the Warsaw Institute of Music; in 1892, he held the courses for organists at
his own place; in 1913, they were reorganised into a school for organists and
conductors. Soon afterwards, he had an idea of setting up a music school for
everybody wishing to learn music. In 1917, he approached the Germans who
controlled Kaunas at the time and received an official permission; however,
he failed to find either premises or instruments, and the music school was
144
