National music versus musical nationalism : a breach in Soviet ideology

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Bronius Kutavičius; Feliksas Bajoras; Liaudies muzika; Muzikinis nacionalizmas; Nacionalinė muzika; Sovietinė muzikinė politika; Sovietų muzikinė ideologija; Tautinė muzika; Šiuolaikinė lietuviška muzika; Šiuolaikinė lietuvių muzika; Bronius Kutavičius; Feliksas Bajoras; Folk music; Lithuanian contemporary music; Musical nationalism; National music; Soviet ideology; Soviet musical policy.

ENOne of the main goals of the Soviet ideology of the postwar USSR (Russia and the occupied countries) was to achieve a certain uniformity of culture, to standardize future artistic expressions, creating a highly politicized art in which cultural differences were blurred. The domain of music was suffering severe pressure from leaders, who feared they were unable to control free expression, - expression which might exceed the limits of the cultural ideological model that they sought to establish. In other words, there was a fear of modem and independent writing which would not concern itself with reflecting the artificial reality imposed by force. Also, in the list of compositional tools approved by the regime were first of all those tested by time, which provided rules clear and understandable by all, and allowed possible censorship: namely, classical music and popular music styles. On the contrary, although classical music reflected a universal aspect, forms of popular music issued from local folklore were all very different, and most were not always “simple” and “accessible to all”, as Soviet ideologists thought. Lithuanian composers such as Bronius Kutavičius and Feliksas Bajoras exploited this ideological loophole by appropriating a particular Lithuanian folklore that was neither “simple” nor “accessible to all”, and created in the 1970s a musical style marked by an authentic modernity which became the foundation of the national musical identity. [From the publication]