| Abstract [eng] |
The master's thesis describes the musical culture of the Evangelical Lutherans of Lithuania Minor, which had a great influence on the formation of the Lithuanian language and writing, as well as on the human culture of the whole region in general. One of the most important achievements is M. Mažvydas' the first printed Lithuanian book "Catechism" which was published in 1547. We also find there the first printed hymnal with eleven Lutheran hymns. With the expansion of the Evangelical Lutheran community in Lithuania Minor, many houses of worship were built here. As community’s singing and music in general are very important in Lutheran worship, the priests tried to build the best possible organs and to attract professional musicians in their churches. Part of the historical organ of Klaipėda County has survived to this day. The work describes important historical instruments (before 1940) of Būtingė, Ramučiai, Švėkšna, Vanagai, Kretinga and Šilutė. Many of them are in extremely bad condition, they are malfunctioning or not working at all (except for the organ of the Vanagai Church), but for several restoration projects they have been prepared and are planned to be implemented in the near future. There are also a number of newly built organs in Klaipėda County Evangelical Lutheran Churches (after 1940), which were brought here from various German parishes on the initiative of the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church Music Society (LEBMS) and its leader Laura Matuzaitė-Kairienė. The following instruments of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Kintai, Klaipėda, Kretingalė, Palanga, Plikiai and Priekulė are described in the work. These organs are mostly small, chamber single-handed and pedal keyboard content instruments. Most of them are well-functioning, and can be used for worship, small concerts of solo, ensemble or choral music. Thus, the Evangelical Lutheran community of Lithuania Minor is rich in historical and new organs, with what, unfortunately, most Lithuanian organists are unfamiliar and have no information. This work could encourage all Lithuanian organists, regardless of their denomination, to take a wider interest in Lutheran culture, to cooperate with Lutheran musicians and to use their organ more widely. |
