Page 166 - 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. 166
konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
remained present throughout the inter-war period. The most significant of
those were Hungarian and Czech professors, who had settled in Klaipeda.12
At that time, Lithuanian musicology corresponded to European ten-
dencies, that is, it was focused on theoretical textbooks, biographies, and
music criticism.
Of course, music education was primarily devoted to the training of
composers. The first class of composition was opened in 1927 by Juozas
Gruodis, who was the first and for a long time the only teacher of composi-
tion. His role in training a whole lineage of composers was very important,
and has been highlighted in many recent studies.
Tensions between traditionalist, moderate and modernist
composers
The main ideological conflict was between so-called traditionalist, mod-
ernist and moderate composers. The older generation studied rather in
Warsaw or St. Petersburg, while young musicians studied in Berlin, Leip-
zig, Prague or Paris. The differences lay not so much in age as in their re-
lationship to musical modernity. The two main music schools of Lithuania
were founded by traditionalists (Juozas Naujalis in Kaunas, Stasys Šimkus
in Klaipeda). Juozas Naujalis studied in Warsaw with Zygmunt Noskowski
(Karol Szymanowski’s teacher) who was reluctant to deal with new musical
styles such as the impressionism of Debussy or Ravel.
“Young people consider me [...] a backlog [...] because I’m not a modern-
ist, but a classical composer,”13 Naujalis complained.
He understood the importance of the national musical style, but he
could not solve these problems himself. His music was dominated by Pol-
ish influences, and he did not know enough Lithuanian folklore. He simply
did not have the technical means to participate in the creation of a Lithu-
anian musical identity. The national schools were founded during the na-
tional revival and the blossoming of the identity awareness, so that the lack
of this consciousness was the biggest obstacle, not only to modernity, but
simply to the participation in the musical discourse and the musical lan-
guage of the time.
12 Danutė Petrauskaitė, “Klaipėdos muzikos mokykla” [Klaipeda School of Music], in
Lietuvos muzikos istorija II: Nepriklausomybės metai 1918–1940, ed. A. J. Ambrazas
(Vinius: Lietuvos muzikos akademija, 2009), 258.
13 Ona Narbutienė, Juozas Naujalis (Kaunas: Šviesa, 1989), 71.
164
remained present throughout the inter-war period. The most significant of
those were Hungarian and Czech professors, who had settled in Klaipeda.12
At that time, Lithuanian musicology corresponded to European ten-
dencies, that is, it was focused on theoretical textbooks, biographies, and
music criticism.
Of course, music education was primarily devoted to the training of
composers. The first class of composition was opened in 1927 by Juozas
Gruodis, who was the first and for a long time the only teacher of composi-
tion. His role in training a whole lineage of composers was very important,
and has been highlighted in many recent studies.
Tensions between traditionalist, moderate and modernist
composers
The main ideological conflict was between so-called traditionalist, mod-
ernist and moderate composers. The older generation studied rather in
Warsaw or St. Petersburg, while young musicians studied in Berlin, Leip-
zig, Prague or Paris. The differences lay not so much in age as in their re-
lationship to musical modernity. The two main music schools of Lithuania
were founded by traditionalists (Juozas Naujalis in Kaunas, Stasys Šimkus
in Klaipeda). Juozas Naujalis studied in Warsaw with Zygmunt Noskowski
(Karol Szymanowski’s teacher) who was reluctant to deal with new musical
styles such as the impressionism of Debussy or Ravel.
“Young people consider me [...] a backlog [...] because I’m not a modern-
ist, but a classical composer,”13 Naujalis complained.
He understood the importance of the national musical style, but he
could not solve these problems himself. His music was dominated by Pol-
ish influences, and he did not know enough Lithuanian folklore. He simply
did not have the technical means to participate in the creation of a Lithu-
anian musical identity. The national schools were founded during the na-
tional revival and the blossoming of the identity awareness, so that the lack
of this consciousness was the biggest obstacle, not only to modernity, but
simply to the participation in the musical discourse and the musical lan-
guage of the time.
12 Danutė Petrauskaitė, “Klaipėdos muzikos mokykla” [Klaipeda School of Music], in
Lietuvos muzikos istorija II: Nepriklausomybės metai 1918–1940, ed. A. J. Ambrazas
(Vinius: Lietuvos muzikos akademija, 2009), 258.
13 Ona Narbutienė, Juozas Naujalis (Kaunas: Šviesa, 1989), 71.
164
