Page 150 - 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
P. 150
konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
shortage of funds, the director managed to persuade the Ministry of
Education to take over the said educational institution. The Government
of Lithuania complied with the request and nationalised the school
on 1 January 1925.
Over the several subsequent years, Klaipėda Music School made rapid
progress and outperformed the school of Kaunas: a symphony orchestra of
teachers and students gave concerts all over Lithuania, the newly formed
choir took part in local and national events, and the school boasted a
library and a Museum of Music. It seemed to Šimkus that his dream came
true, therefore, he replaced the word school by the word conservatoire both
in the documents and the seal. That annoyed the Ministry of Education
which understood a conservatoire as an institution of higher education
and disliked the arbitrary use of the term, therefore, it ordered the school
administration to change the name on the seal and letterheads as soon as
possible. Deputy Director Juozas Žilevičius tried to object and explain that
a) the Minister of Education himself allowed to Šimkus to call the school a
conservatoire; b) in Germany, the term of a conservatoire was understood
differently; c) the school worked under the curricula of Western European
conservatoires and therefore had the right to the title, moreover, Kaunas
Music School, which was not an institution of higher education, was also
called a conservatoire.3 Unfortunately, the Ministry of Education could not
be persuaded, and the desired title of a conservatoire had to be given up;
however, it got established in the colloquial language, and especially among
Germans.
Having nationalised Klaipėda Music School, the Ministry of Education
felt it was too difficult for it to maintain two music schools in Lithuania.
The idea was born to reorganise them by merging into one institution – a
conservatoire. Needless to say, Klaipėda was not considered to be the right
place for a conservatoire to operate. The authorities believed that a higher
music school had to open in Kaunas, the then capital city of Lithuania, where
musicians came after their studies abroad and where cultural and political
life was in full swing. Even though 1/3 of all the Lithuanians in Lithuania
Minor lived in Klaipėda, the city was alien to Lithuanian officials. Instead
of consolidating the network of Lithuanian schools and organisations
established there, the Government focused on Kaunas. Šimkus saw the
3 Juozas Žilevičius, “Letter to Councellor for Special Education of the Ministry of Ed-
ucation,” 25. 5. 1928. The Archives of Lithuanian Literature and Art, f. 161, ap. 1, b. 90,
p. 22.
148
shortage of funds, the director managed to persuade the Ministry of
Education to take over the said educational institution. The Government
of Lithuania complied with the request and nationalised the school
on 1 January 1925.
Over the several subsequent years, Klaipėda Music School made rapid
progress and outperformed the school of Kaunas: a symphony orchestra of
teachers and students gave concerts all over Lithuania, the newly formed
choir took part in local and national events, and the school boasted a
library and a Museum of Music. It seemed to Šimkus that his dream came
true, therefore, he replaced the word school by the word conservatoire both
in the documents and the seal. That annoyed the Ministry of Education
which understood a conservatoire as an institution of higher education
and disliked the arbitrary use of the term, therefore, it ordered the school
administration to change the name on the seal and letterheads as soon as
possible. Deputy Director Juozas Žilevičius tried to object and explain that
a) the Minister of Education himself allowed to Šimkus to call the school a
conservatoire; b) in Germany, the term of a conservatoire was understood
differently; c) the school worked under the curricula of Western European
conservatoires and therefore had the right to the title, moreover, Kaunas
Music School, which was not an institution of higher education, was also
called a conservatoire.3 Unfortunately, the Ministry of Education could not
be persuaded, and the desired title of a conservatoire had to be given up;
however, it got established in the colloquial language, and especially among
Germans.
Having nationalised Klaipėda Music School, the Ministry of Education
felt it was too difficult for it to maintain two music schools in Lithuania.
The idea was born to reorganise them by merging into one institution – a
conservatoire. Needless to say, Klaipėda was not considered to be the right
place for a conservatoire to operate. The authorities believed that a higher
music school had to open in Kaunas, the then capital city of Lithuania, where
musicians came after their studies abroad and where cultural and political
life was in full swing. Even though 1/3 of all the Lithuanians in Lithuania
Minor lived in Klaipėda, the city was alien to Lithuanian officials. Instead
of consolidating the network of Lithuanian schools and organisations
established there, the Government focused on Kaunas. Šimkus saw the
3 Juozas Žilevičius, “Letter to Councellor for Special Education of the Ministry of Ed-
ucation,” 25. 5. 1928. The Archives of Lithuanian Literature and Art, f. 161, ap. 1, b. 90,
p. 22.
148
