Vytautas Klova (January 31, 1926 in

Tirkšliai Tirkšliai ( pl, Tyrkszle) is a town in Telšiai County, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,507 people. References

Towns in Lithuania Towns in Telšiai County Telshevsky Uyezd {{TelšiaiCounty-geo-st ...

Mažeikiai district Mažeikiai (; Samogitian: ''Mažeikē''; lv, Mažeiķi) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 43,547, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania. The city is the administrative center of Ma ...

– December 10, 2009 in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

) was a

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n composer and educator. His best-known work is opera ''

Pilėnai Pilėnai (also ''Pillenen'' in German) was a hill fort in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its location is unknown and is subject to academic debates, but it is well known in the history of Lithuania due to its heroic defense against the Teutonic O ...

'', based on the historical events in

. It is by far the most popular Lithuanian

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

Biography

From 1946 to 1948 Klova studied in the composition class of professor Juozas Gruodis at the Kaunas Conservatory. In 1951 he finished professor

Antanas Račiūnas Antanas Račiūnas (born Užliašiai, near Panevėžys, Sept. 17, 1905; died Kaunas, April 3, 1984) was a Lithuanian composer. He was awarded People's Artist of the Lithuanian SSR in 1965. Biography He graduated from the Kaunas People's Co ...

' composition class at the

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a state-supported conservatory that trains students in music, theatre, and multimedia arts. History Composer Juozas Naujalis founded a music school in 1919 in Kaunas. This ...

(then known as the Lithuanian Conservatory). From 1954 to 1994 Klova lectured on

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

at the same academy. In 1982 he received his professor's degree. Klova is the author of the first Lithuanian textbook of

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

. He received the Lithuanian SSR State Prize for his works in 1957, 1960 and 1970.LMILC
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Works

Klova wrote 6 operas: * '' Pilėnai (opera)'' (1955) – most popular of his works and was named as classics of the Lithuanian opera * ''Vaiva'' (1957) * ''Duktė'' ("Daughter") (1960) * ''Žalgiris'' (Du kalavijai) ("Grunvald (Two Swords)") (1965) * ''Amerikoniškoji tragedija'' ("American Tragedy") (1968) * ''Ave, vita'' (1974) He also harmonized more than 100

Lithuanian folk songs Lithuanian folk songs (in Lithuanian: "liaudies dainos") are often noted for not only their mythological content but also their relating historical events. Lithuanian folk music includes romantic songs, wedding songs, as well as work songs and ...

References

1926 births 2009 deaths Burials at Antakalnis Cemetery People from Mažeikiai District Municipality Lithuanian classical composers Lithuanian opera composers Lithuanian music educators Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Academic staff of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Musicians from Vilnius Lithuanian male classical composers 20th-century male musicians {{Lithuania-composer-stub