The Lithuanian choral tradition: History, context, education, and practice

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the choral tradition, choral music and music education of Lithuania. Choral music through the ages, whether sung as the monophonic folk song, the daina, or the polyphonic sutartine, in daily life and ritual in the forest clearings, homesteads and villages of long ago, or performed in choral concerts and operas, has been one of the strongest bonds holding together the Lithuanian identity throughout centuries of foreign occupation and cultural onslaught.;Music is engrained in the national fiber. Every village and town has more than one chorus (not counting church choirs) and national singing competitions, both solo and choral, are televised and followed with great interest. Since time immemorial, public gatherings have been marked by singing. Every few years since 1924, song festivals in the capital city, Vilnius, draw thousands of participants. Lithuanian choral ensembles consistently appear as winners of international competitions far out of proportion to the country's size.;Public education, which accounts for 99% of the student population, includes music education in the core curriculum of every primary, middle and secondary school. Eleven of the largest cities have specialized schools of music, with children being admitted at the first grade level through high school. For students either graduating from small town primary schools, or transferring from a primary level music school and wishing to pursue specialized music studies, the largest Lithuanian cities, Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai, and Panevezys, have conservatories of music. All five of these cities also have universities with music faculties, and there is the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater in Vilnius.;The Lithuanian singing tradition and thousands of its songs dates back to the dawn of civilization. Throughout history choral music has played an important role in the life of Lithuania, and its songs have influenced the music of many non-Lithuanian composers. Yet Lithuanian music and its choral music tradition remain largely to be discovered by the world.