Page 153 - 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. 153
from courses to a conservatoir e ...
as general education courses – elementary music theory, solfeggio, harmo-
ny, music forms, symphonic instrumentation, compulsory piano, history
of music, and aesthetics and ensemble; the duration of the studies was to
be six to eight years (depending on the chosen specialism). Unfortunately,
the document did not indicate that the conservatoire was an institution of
a higher musical education, even though the definition “a conservatoire is
a special higher music school, the chief music school in Lithuania” was pre-
viously proposed by Naujalis and Gruodis. It is difficult to explain why the
Ministry ignored the definition. Possibly its officials thought that the word
conservatoire was self-evident, or they deliberately avoided the term. Only
Article 41 of the Statute stated that an attendee was to receive a diploma
and the rights of higher education provided he completed the entire pro-
gramme of the conservatoire and presented a certificate of a comprehen-
sive secondary school. Not all the musicians were satisfied with the said
document. Graduate of Klaipėda Music School Motiejus Budriūnas did not
notice any new trends in the training of musicians and believed that the
school simply extended the programmes of the same specialities training
soloists. He wrote:
The contemporary music life shows that the times of solo virtuosos
have passed. Today, even the best soloists try to get jobs in the opera
or orchestra, or as conductors or music teachers, because it is no
longer possible to survive on concerts [...], and in Lithuania, even
the best soloist-virtuoso in the world would not survive one year
on his concerts. [...] A teacher training department in our Music
School ought to be one of its most important institutions. [...]
Preparation of good music teachers is a must. It would be more
rational to have an orchestra department instead of a high virtuoso
course for instrumentalists as well as an opera department for
singers. The school then would have not only to give more frequent
symphonic concerts, but also to stage operas. A virtuoso course
might be left only for pianists. Therefore, it seems that we need an
entirely different school.6
Budriūnas also noted that the Statute of the Conservatoire did not
mention choir conducting, and the academic staff were not called professors
or associate professors, but teachers as in general education schools.
However, his comments were ignored. The staff of Kaunas were happy
6 Motiejus Budriūnas, “Dėl Lietuvos konservatorijos statuto” [On the Statute of the
Lithuanian Conservatoire], Muzikos barai, no. 10–11 (1932): 139–140.
151
as general education courses – elementary music theory, solfeggio, harmo-
ny, music forms, symphonic instrumentation, compulsory piano, history
of music, and aesthetics and ensemble; the duration of the studies was to
be six to eight years (depending on the chosen specialism). Unfortunately,
the document did not indicate that the conservatoire was an institution of
a higher musical education, even though the definition “a conservatoire is
a special higher music school, the chief music school in Lithuania” was pre-
viously proposed by Naujalis and Gruodis. It is difficult to explain why the
Ministry ignored the definition. Possibly its officials thought that the word
conservatoire was self-evident, or they deliberately avoided the term. Only
Article 41 of the Statute stated that an attendee was to receive a diploma
and the rights of higher education provided he completed the entire pro-
gramme of the conservatoire and presented a certificate of a comprehen-
sive secondary school. Not all the musicians were satisfied with the said
document. Graduate of Klaipėda Music School Motiejus Budriūnas did not
notice any new trends in the training of musicians and believed that the
school simply extended the programmes of the same specialities training
soloists. He wrote:
The contemporary music life shows that the times of solo virtuosos
have passed. Today, even the best soloists try to get jobs in the opera
or orchestra, or as conductors or music teachers, because it is no
longer possible to survive on concerts [...], and in Lithuania, even
the best soloist-virtuoso in the world would not survive one year
on his concerts. [...] A teacher training department in our Music
School ought to be one of its most important institutions. [...]
Preparation of good music teachers is a must. It would be more
rational to have an orchestra department instead of a high virtuoso
course for instrumentalists as well as an opera department for
singers. The school then would have not only to give more frequent
symphonic concerts, but also to stage operas. A virtuoso course
might be left only for pianists. Therefore, it seems that we need an
entirely different school.6
Budriūnas also noted that the Statute of the Conservatoire did not
mention choir conducting, and the academic staff were not called professors
or associate professors, but teachers as in general education schools.
However, his comments were ignored. The staff of Kaunas were happy
6 Motiejus Budriūnas, “Dėl Lietuvos konservatorijos statuto” [On the Statute of the
Lithuanian Conservatoire], Muzikos barai, no. 10–11 (1932): 139–140.
151
