Page 167 - 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. 167
the visions of lithuanian musical education
In 1927 Naujalis was replaced by a moderate Juozas Gruodis. Some
composers, though modern while studying abroad, became very moderate
when they returned home. They were influenced or rather crushed by the
very conservative public and context. This is the case of Vladas Jakubėnas,
returned to Kaunas in 1932, a teacher at the Conservatoire and a very ac-
tive music critic. His works written in Berlin (Prelude and First Symphony)
shocked local musicians. He quickly lost confidence in new Western music,
turned away from atonality, and contented himself with the use of folk mu-
sic in a fairly classical tonal system.
In the 1930s, the return of several modernist composers from abroad
changed the game. This generation was very actively involved in the educa-
tional process, but not without problems. Opposing artistic visions, strong
characters and even competition between the two schools of Kaunas and
Klaipeda, created tensions.
Therefore, it was difficult not only for traditionalists like Naujalis, but
also for modernists. For example, one of them, Jeronimas Kačinskas, af-
ter returning from Prague where he studied with Alois Haba, tried to pro-
mote the microtonal language, but did not receive support. Gruodis did not
support him either. Then Kačinskas left the capital, moved to Klaipeda and
opened a quarter-tone composition class (since 1933). Another modernist,
Vytautas Bacevičius, who taught at Kaunas (from 1930 to 1938), could not
realize his visions of contemporary music either, extremely modern for the
time. According to Ona Narbutienė,
Romanticism was totally alien to the composer; therefore, his mu-
sic seemed unacceptable to the majority of listeners. They missed
the coherent musical flow and the wrought-out melody that guides
a certain musical thought.14
Juozas Gruodis, his director at the conservatory, said of Bacevičius:
It’s not normal for a very talented creator to create for himself, for
future generations, instead of trying to lead his people with him, a
people to whom he shows his contempt. The artist must not descend
into the crowd, but he must be able to the crowd for which he writes
his works.15
14 Vita Gruodytė, “Vytautas Bacevičius in the Context of Interwar Paris,” in Vytautas
Bacevičius in Context, eds. Rūta Stanevičiūtė and Veronika Janatjeva (Vilnius: Lith-
uanian Composers’ Union, 2009), 50.
15 Ambrazas, Juozas Gruodis, 221.
165
In 1927 Naujalis was replaced by a moderate Juozas Gruodis. Some
composers, though modern while studying abroad, became very moderate
when they returned home. They were influenced or rather crushed by the
very conservative public and context. This is the case of Vladas Jakubėnas,
returned to Kaunas in 1932, a teacher at the Conservatoire and a very ac-
tive music critic. His works written in Berlin (Prelude and First Symphony)
shocked local musicians. He quickly lost confidence in new Western music,
turned away from atonality, and contented himself with the use of folk mu-
sic in a fairly classical tonal system.
In the 1930s, the return of several modernist composers from abroad
changed the game. This generation was very actively involved in the educa-
tional process, but not without problems. Opposing artistic visions, strong
characters and even competition between the two schools of Kaunas and
Klaipeda, created tensions.
Therefore, it was difficult not only for traditionalists like Naujalis, but
also for modernists. For example, one of them, Jeronimas Kačinskas, af-
ter returning from Prague where he studied with Alois Haba, tried to pro-
mote the microtonal language, but did not receive support. Gruodis did not
support him either. Then Kačinskas left the capital, moved to Klaipeda and
opened a quarter-tone composition class (since 1933). Another modernist,
Vytautas Bacevičius, who taught at Kaunas (from 1930 to 1938), could not
realize his visions of contemporary music either, extremely modern for the
time. According to Ona Narbutienė,
Romanticism was totally alien to the composer; therefore, his mu-
sic seemed unacceptable to the majority of listeners. They missed
the coherent musical flow and the wrought-out melody that guides
a certain musical thought.14
Juozas Gruodis, his director at the conservatory, said of Bacevičius:
It’s not normal for a very talented creator to create for himself, for
future generations, instead of trying to lead his people with him, a
people to whom he shows his contempt. The artist must not descend
into the crowd, but he must be able to the crowd for which he writes
his works.15
14 Vita Gruodytė, “Vytautas Bacevičius in the Context of Interwar Paris,” in Vytautas
Bacevičius in Context, eds. Rūta Stanevičiūtė and Veronika Janatjeva (Vilnius: Lith-
uanian Composers’ Union, 2009), 50.
15 Ambrazas, Juozas Gruodis, 221.
165
