Jurgis Karnavičius (23 April 1884 – 22 December 1941) was a Lithuanian composer of classical music and a forerunner of the development of Lithuanian operatic works.

Biography

Karnavičius was born in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, Lithuania, which at the time was a part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. After completing his basic education in his homeland, he began the study of Law in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia. Karnavičius's son, also named Jurgis Karnavičius (1912–2001), was a pianist and the long-time rector of the

Lithuanian Academy of Music 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 s ...

. His grandson, Jurgis Karnavičius (born 1957), is a concert pianist. Music had always been his main interest, and he began to simultaneously study music theory and composition. This soon superseded his pursuit of a career in the legal profession. His primary instrument was the

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

. Eventually he became a professor at the Conservatory of Music in the now renamed city of

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. During this period he began experimenting with his own theories of musical composition and began writing his own works. In 1927, Karnavičius returned to Lithuania, which had only regained its independence as a sovereign nation less than ten years earlier. In addition to teaching at the Conservatory of Music in Kaunas, he opted to play the viola with the orchestra of the State Opera for a number of years. Having a personal desire write a new opera himself, and under the influence of the renewed national pride released by Lithuania's regaining its independence, Karnavičius began to write his first opera, '' Gražina (opera)'', which premiered on February 16, 1933 as the first Lithuanian national opera in the independent state.Lituanus - Volume 21 - Page 48 1975 Finally, the opera was completed and presented as the first Lithuanian opera in independent Lithuania on February 16, 1933, in Kaunas, the fifteenth anniversary to the day of Lithuanian Independence . It met with great success Within the succeeding five years he wrote another opera, Radvila Perkūnas, which had its premiere in 1937 It had incorporated more than forty melodies borrowed from Lithuanian folk songs, and was a popular success. It is considered among the first of the "Lithuanian National Operas". This was followed in 1937 by the opera ''Radvila Perkūnas'' about the Lithuanian

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

Krzysztof Mikołaj Radziwiłł Prince Krzysztof Mikołaj Artur Radziwiłł (; 29 July 1898 – 24 March 1986) was a Polish translator and politician, descendant of the well-known aristocratic Radziwiłł family. He was a supporter of the Communist regime in Poland, which gain ...

Selected works

;Stage * ''Gražuolė'' (Beauty; La Bellote), Ballet in 1 act, Op.17 (1927); libretto by Pavel Petrov * '' Gražina (opera)'', Opera in 4 acts (1932); libretto by Kazys Inčiūra after poem by

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

* '' Radvila Perkūnas'', Opera in 4 acts, 7 scenes (1936); libretto by

Balys Sruoga Balys Sruoga (2 February 1896 – 16 October 1947) was a Lithuanian poet, playwright, critic, and literary theorist. He contributed to cultural journals from his early youth. His works were published by the liberal wing of the Lithuanian cultura ...

* ''Barocco'', Ballet in 1 act (1938); libretto by

Lesley Blanch Lesley Blanch (6 June 19047 May 2007) was a British writer and traveller. She is best known for '' The Wilder Shores of Love'', about Isabel Burton (who married the Arabist and explorer Richard), Jane Digby el-Mezrab (Lady Ellenborough, the so ...

* ''Apsišaukėlis'' (The Impostor), Ballet in 1 act (1940); libretto by Helene France * ''Jaunimas žaidžia'' (Youth at Play; Jeunesse s'amuse), Ballet in 1 act (1940); libretto by the composer ;Orchestral * ''Džigūnas'', Lithuanian Dance * ''Groteskas'' (Grotesque), Lithuanian Dance * ''Tema su variacijomis'' (Theme with Variations) (1912) * ''Ulalumė'', Symphonic Poem, Op.8 (1917) * ''Lietuviškoji fantazija'' (Lithuanian Fantasy), Op.15 (1925) * ''Ovalus portretas'' (The Oval Portrait), Symphonic Poem, Op.18 (1927) ; Chamber music * String Quartet in F major * ''Variations on the Lithuanian Folk Song "Siuntė mane motinėlė"'' for violin and piano (1907) * String Quartet No.1, Op.1 (1913) * ''2 Romance-Caprices'' for violin solo, Op.4 (1915) * String Quartet No.2, Op.6 (1917, published 1928) * ''Poema'' for cello and piano (1917) * String Quartet No.3, Op.10 (1922) * String Quartet No.4 (1925) * ''Lietuviškoji fantazija'' (Lithuanian Fantasy) for string quartet, Op.15 (1925) ;Piano * Piano Sonata (1909) * ''Variacijos originalia tema'' (Variations on Original Theme) (1910) * ''Šokis'' (Dance) (1916) * ''Lopšinė'' (Lullaby) (1929) ;Vocal * ''Gluosnį linguoja'' (Swinging Willow) for voice and viola (1916); words by

Konstantin Balmont Konstantin Dmitriyevich Balmont ( rus, Константи́н Дми́триевич Ба́льмо́нт, p=, a=Konstantin Dmitriyevich Bal'mont.ru.vorb.oga; – 23 December 1942) was a Russian symbolist poet and translator who became one of ...

* ''Serenada'' (Serenade) for voice and viola (1916); words by

Afanasy Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet ( rus, Афана́сий Афана́сьевич Фет, p=ɐfɐˈnasʲɪj ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈfʲɛt, a=Ru-Afanasiy Afanas'yevich Fyet.oga), later known as Shenshin ( rus, Шенши́н, p=ʂɨnˈʂɨn, a=Ru-Afa ...

* ''Žiedlapėliai putokšlio'' (Milkwort Petals) for voice and viola (1916); words by

* ''Daina'' (Song) for voice and viola (published 1924); words by

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...

* ''To'' for voice and viola (published 1924); words by

* 2 Romances after

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

, Op.7 (published 1924)

References

External links

Jurgis Karnavičius biography and list of works
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karnavicius, Jurgis 1884 births 1941 deaths Classical violists Lithuanian classical musicians Lithuanian violists Lithuanian opera composers Musicians from Kaunas Academic staff of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Lithuanian male classical composers 20th-century Lithuanian classical composers 20th-century Lithuanian male musicians 20th-century violists Opera composers from the Russian Empire