Lithuanian Music in America, 1870–1920

LITHUANIAN MUSIC IN AMERICA, 1870-1920

Danute Petrauskaite, Klaipeda University, Lithuania

hile it is known that small numbers of Lithuanians emigrated to W America as early as the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, massive emigration to the New World began only after the second half of the nineteenth century, especially after the abolition of serfdom (Michelsonas 3- 4). If the first arrivals in America included a number of nobility, a greater part of the later emigrants were peasants, mainly men, who later invited their sisters, wives or fianc6es to come to the New World. Among the reasons which persuaded people to leave Lithuania were the repressions which followed the anti-Russian uprising of 1863, the country's poor economic situation, the new Tsarist conscription law of 1874, and the suppression of the revolution in 1905. After 1859 Lithuanians flooded into America, creating proportionately one of Europe's largest diasporas. In 1899, about 275,000 Lithuanians lived in the United States, while on the eve of World War I the number increased to 500,000 (Michelsonas 14). After the war the number of newcomers from Lithuania significantly decreased, as a strict immigration quota was introduced by the US administration, according to which, only 382 Lithuanians could enter the country per year (Lietuviq enciklopedija 420). As a consequence, Lithuanians began searching for a better life in Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, although a number entered the United States illegally. Lithuanian emigrants did not initiate their cultural and musical activities immediately upon arrival. The first emigrants were mainly village people, not influenced by either the first Tsarist schools in Lithuania or the first Lithuanian-language newspapers. Most of them had little, if any, education. The data indicate that about half of the Lithuanians who came to the US before the Great War could neither read nor write. Quite a number of them

Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 could not clearly identify their nationality and called themselves simply "Catholics" (Pasaulio lietuviai 42). They were inclined to unite with the Polish emigrants to establish common organizations, unions and parishes. As the educational level of Lithuanians rose, so did their national consciousness. Soon Lithuanians started to establish their organizations, build churches, publish periodicals, educate their children, and even provide them with a university education. Among the first emigrants were musicians, singers and dancers. Some of them brought their violins, concertinas and clarinets; they would arrange evening parties in their dorms after a hard day's work. Others would have a good time at home, still others, with a business bent, opened inns where

JBS, Vol XXXI, No 1 (Spnng 2000) 60 Lithuanian Music in America 61 Lithuanian customers could sing and dance. Thus, village musicians were pioneers who began spreading Lithuanian music among their compatriots and even among other nationalities. It was hard to imagine any important Lithuanian meeting, be it entertainment or a wedding, without musicians. Of course, evening parties were not regulated or coordinated but were arranged spontaneously; nonetheless, they provided a kind of embryonic stage in the development of musical life, an introductory stage to a new epoch which began with the establishment of Lithuanian parishes, societies, choirs and orchestras. Eventually, these former village musicians were to lead orchestras and choirs. They worked as organists or teachers and laid the foundations for Lithuanian-American culture. Their role in the life of Lithuanians in America can be compared to the role of the contemporary "book" smugglers who resisted the Tsarist press ban in Lithuania- They were pioneers: the history of the musical activities of the Lithuanians who settled in America begins with them.

Societies

Virtually all Lithuanians who came to the United States felt the need to become members of one or another immigrant society, with the hope of "getting assistance in case of an illness, and a nice burial in case of death" (Alyva, "Kas link"). The ethnic societies took an interest in cultural activities. The beginnings were slow since few people had any experience in fostering culture. The first society named after St. Vaitiekus was established in Shamokin, Pennsylvania in 1871 but soon disbanded. Societies which actively propagated music did not appear until later. The first organization of that type was established in Chicago in 1895: DraugystO muzikantq ir giedoriq po globa Dovydo karaliaus (The Society of Musicians and Singers under the Protection of King David). This society acted mainly as a credit union, but for some time it also had a choir. When the choir broke up, a group of its musicians remained active performing at Lithuanian Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 evening parties. Eventually, societies appeared which were primarily concerned with musical activities. One of the first was established in Chicago in 1895, called the Dainininkq draugystO dr. V. Kudirkos (The Dr. V. Kudirka Singers' Society). Its main goal was to "learn to sing Lithuanian national songs" (Ambrose 256), and it proved quite successful. The members of that society later founded a successor choir, the Birut6, in 1908. Three years later, the LietuviJka teatraligka Rf-tos dainininkt/ galpos draugija (The Lithuanian Theatrical Rfita Singers' Mutual Aid Society) was established, also in Chicago. Other such organizations followed: in 1914, the Susivieno'imas lietuviq socialistq dainininkq Amerikoje (Union of Lithuanian Socialist Singers in America); and, in 1912, in Waterbury, Connecticut, Aido 62 Danute Petrauskaite teatraligka draugija (The Echo Theatrical Society). In 1915, on the basis of the Dainos, dramos ir muzikos draugija (The Society of Song, Drama and Music), and on the initiative of the noted composer Stasys Simkus (1887- 1943), the choir Daina (The Song) was formed, achieving more fame than the original association. There was also the Philadelphia children's society Vyturiukas (The Little Lark). In Detroit the Dail~s myldtoj9 draugija (The Society of Art Lovers) with its own choir and in Brooklyn, New York, a music and drama society Vytur~lis (The Tiny Lark), were also founded. In 1914 a Boston youth group established the music and drama society Gabija. Before the Great War, these kinds of organizations appeared in virtually all Lithuanian-American communities. These cultural societies united lovers of music who lived in the region, but organizational coordination of musical activities was weak. Organists were among the first to tackle this problem.

Organists

Organists became the centre of Lithuanian immigrant musical life. They were active in fostering religious as well as secular music. The organists worked with young people, arranged concerts and song festivals, and due to a shortage of hymns and songs, actually composed music themselves. At the beginning, not all of their compatriots appreciated their efforts; sometimes th e organists were ridiculed. According to the Lithuanian music historian, Juozas :~ilevi~ius, the organist was a Jack-of-all-trades: after playing the organ for the service, he would tidy up the church, sweep the street around it, mow the grass, shovel the snow, heat the stoves, look after the priest's liturgical robes and ring the church bells when required. But even if they worked hard, the organists could hardly make ends meet, especially in the coal mining regions, so that some of them opened shops or worked as photographers, barbers or watchmakers. The first Lithuanian organist, Domininkas Ba~kauskas, came to the United States in 1879 and was soon followed by Andrius Di~kauskas, Stasys Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 Rakauskas and Jonas ~emaitis. With the establishment of new parishes, there was a shortage of organists, and priests employed people of other nationalities or taught hymns by ear. Having learned of this dire need, Antanas Pocius, Jonas ~i~auskas, Vladas Dauk~a, Vincas Nickus, Antanas Visminas, Jonas Brundza, Ksaveras Strumskis, Juozas and Justas Kudirka, Juozas Stulgaitis, Antanas Radzevi~ius, Jonas Banys and others arrived in America at the beginning of the twentieth century to rectify the situation. Some of them had sufficient musical education, having attended courses for organists or taken private lessons. But a number of them had little education and failed to perform the organist's duties in a proper way. In order to deal with the many professional, organizational and f'mancial issues, the organists decided to establish an association. Lithuanian Music in America 63 In 1905 Polish organists invited Lithuanians to join the St. Cecilia Polish-Lithuanian Organists' Union. Lithuanians joined and cooperated with Poles for several years. But in 1908 quarrels erupted and Lithuanians chose separation. On 31 May 1911 they held the first convention of Lithuanian organists in Baltimore and established The Union of American Lithuanian Organists (the UALO). Its stated aim was to foster national feelings via hymns and songs, to standardize hymns in Lithuanian churches, to cultivate religious and secular music, to arrange common concerts, to publish music and assist colleagues in the profession. The UALO was governed by a board elected at the conventions which were usually held annually. During 1911- 1920 the UALO Board was chaired by Ksaveras Strumskis and Aleksandras Aleksis (Aleksandravi~ius). As minutes of conventions were not recorded until the sixth convention, some information about the first meetings can be found in the memoirs of Union members or their periodicals. Sources reveal that during the conventions delegates would listen to reports, solve practical problems (for example, relations between organists and priests, issues of organists' salaries, etc.), discuss plans for the future and listen to concerts arranged by local organists. A special event at an extraordinary convention of organists on August 30-31, 1915, in Newark, New Jersey, was the lecture of the composer Stasys ~;imkus on "How to Teach Choirs." In 1916 the UALO had forty-eight members. It was a small organization, but gradually its ranks grew. In 1916-1920 the organists made few important decisions, but in 1919 it was decided to establish a union of Lithuanian- American musicians and choirs; however, the implementation of that idea came much later. Anyway, in some regions song festivals or "days of song" began to be held, and the first collections of Lithuanian music were published. Gradually the UALO became one of the main organizers and inspirations of musical life and Lithuanian-Americans.

Bands Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011

Lithuanian musical bands were established earlier than the choirs and were formed on the model of American uniformed marching bands. It has to be noted that the first Lithuanians in America were fond of establishing different "guards" or "divisions". They would acquire posh uniforms and swords, mount specially hired horses and ride through the centre of town to demonstrate their ethnic splendour (Michelsonas 28). Among them were men who had played musical instruments during their service in the Tsar's army. Those men started forming Lithuanian orchestras and bands, which were also called "kapelijos" or "benai" (after the English band). The first Lithuanian band was established in 1885 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, according to a photo from the Lithuanian music archives of 64 Danute Petrauskaite Juozas Zilevi~ius and Juozas Kreiv~nas. The band had about thirty members. It is reported to have been famous in the region, and when strikes by coal miners started in Pennsylvania, the group traveled to New York with the mission of collecting donations. The musicians walked along the streets of the city and surprised people with their performance. Several years later, another similar band was formed, The Lithuanian St. George Band of Shenandoah, which won first place in the city's musical competition. Other cities followed their example; in 1887, a band was formed in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, and in 1897, another was formed in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Soon such bands appeared in most sizeable Lithuanian colonies: for example, Chicago alone had five such musical groups. At first the Lithuanian bands were not very large. They would consist of ten to fifteen musicians, playing mainly brass wind instruments, with an occasional clarinet, flute or drum. Later they grew to between twenty and forty performers; some, like the Cleveland Lithuanian National Band, included as many as sixty performers. In the latter case, the musicians were unable to continue as one group and had to form a new band, the Band of the Sons of Lithuania. The groups were well organized: they would have their Statutes and a "general" or band master, either elected from among the membership or invited from outside. A membership fee was paid to support the band master. The Statute would regulate the internal order of the groups, so that their members could not leave without having serious grounds; they were bound by moral and financial bonds. For example, the members of the Cleveland band were required to pay a ten-dollar deposit which they forfeited in case of a voluntary withdrawal. The Statute of the band served as a proof that the group was formed "not only to elevate the Lithuanian nation in music or to awaken national feelings of every Lithuanian emigrant and foster noble ideas, but also to show to the people of other nations that the Lithuanian nation is musical, its sons love music and are able to stand on the step on which other civilized nations are standing" (~ilevi6ius, "Amerikos lietuvit~ ~na~as" 355). Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 Most often the bands performed at different Lithuanian gatherings: at the Unions' conventions, at church festivals, weddings and burials, outings, dances and street processions. Once a year they would arrange major concerts. The Lithuanian bands were also invited by other nationalities to perform. Contrary to most choir singers who couldn't read music, these musicians could read music from the sheets easily and could perform different programs. The programs mainly consisted of compositions based on Lithuanian folk songs and dances, with fragments of Czech polkas, Polish mazurkas, German waltzes and marches interspersed. For most Americans, it was foreign music. For that reason Lithuanian bands eventually could not withstand the ever stronger competition of black jazz bands and other kinds Lithuanian Music in America 65 of music. After World War 1, the Lithuanian instrumental groups gradually began to disappear.

Choirs

As the network of Lithuanian parishes grew, the first choirs also appeared, despite the shortage of choir leaders. The first founders and leaders of choirs were organists and those choir singers who were able to read music. Although organists started coming to America in 1879, the fn'st church choir was formed only in 1885 at St. Casimir's parish in Pittstone, Pennsylvania (~ilevi~ius, "Amerikos lietuviai muzikoje"). Evidently it was not easy to get singers together and to choose a suitable repertoire. But with additional organists arriving and with the publication of music, more choirs appeared. At the beginning, choir singers who had missed the service of Lithuanian churches would attend the rehearsals willingly, even if they had to walk many miles, as there was no rapid means of transport. They would mainly sing in two parts, employing folk-like harmonizations. At that time choirs for Lithuanian immigrants meant more than the chance to sing; they gave people an opportunity to socialize, to share their joys and troubles and to remember their native land. When Lithuanians began forming various parties and organizations, disagreements erupted, causing trouble for the church choirs. On various insignificant pretexts, dissatisfied singers would leave the parish choirs and found secular ones. They were then joined by people who considered church activities too restrictive. The first Lithuanian secular choir in America was Leonas Ereminas' group, founded in New York in November 1894 and called Lietuvi~ 'Mildos' giedoritl draugyst~ (The Lithuanian Milda Singers' Society), or simply, Milda. The same year, the Lithuanian Music and Singers' Choir was formed in Chicago, but it soon disbanded, leaving no trace of its activities (Ambrose 255). It was difficult for secular choirs to survive: they had to hire a leader, Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 rent premises and purchase music on their own. Good choir leaders were difficult to find. In spite of that, especially after the early 1900s, quite a few choirs, especially mixed ones, appeared in Chicago, Boston, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, Maspeth, New York, Roseland, Illinois and Worcester, Massachusetts. Juozas Zilevi6ius called this period the "Golden Age of American choirs," thanks mainly to a number of newly-arrived and well educated organists, the majority of them pupils of the composer Juozas Naujalis (1869-1934). An important role in the process of choir formation belonged to the composers Mikas Petrauskas (1873-1937), who came to America in 1907, and Stasys Simkus, who arrived in 1915. They were the first Lithuanian musicians in America with a higher education. 66 Danute Petrauskaite Thanks to Petrauskas, the secular Chicago choir Birut6 was formed, which survived for quite a long per!od of time and which was led by the composer from 1914. "Work was difficult, as almost all choir singers were self-taught, some could hardly read, and nobody could read music," reports one Lithuanian-American author (Ilgaudas 9). Not all the singers enjoyed coming to rehearsals, and the conductor had to persuade them in different ways, even buying candies for the girls (~ilevi~ius, "Amerikos lietuviy ina~as" 359). Anyway, the conductor's efforts were fruitful: the choir gave regular concerts, sometimes along with a symphony orchestra, while staging operettas and nurturing a number of Lithuanian star singers, such as Marijona Rakauskait6, Salom6ja Staniulyt6, Lilija ~ilvi6ifit6 and others. M. Petrauskas was followed by Ksaveras Strumskis, Petras, Sarpalius, Antanas Pocius, and, most significantly, by Stasys Simkus in 1918-1919. Under Simkus, the choir gained strength; he also tried to eliminate disagreements between the singers of the Birut6 ensemble and the Vy6iai (The Knights). Petrauskas settled in Boston in 1914 and became the leader of the Gabija choir, which had about a hundred singers at the time. They rehearsed two or three times a week, and the first public appearance took place on 1 October after three months of work. It was followed by many other concerts. The Gabija gave concerts not only in Boston, but in its suburbs as well, and toured the larger Lithuanian-American settlements. Despite all the organizational difficulties, the Gabija singers worked hard, sometimes wondering at their own self-sacrifice and endurance: "All day you work, in the evening you sing, sell the tickets, distribute posters. The concert ends, and all the tiredness is gone, and then another concert starts. But music and song are the most powerful things" (Mockus 27). For many choirs World War I proved a most difficult period. For the Gabija choir, the most difficult year was 1918. But this was also a year which brought them some joy as well. On July 4, during the celebration of Independence Day in the song festival in Boston, which included many other nationalities, Gabija hoisted the Lithuanian flag for the first time in the Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 presence of thousands of people and won second place in their concert program. Thanks to Petrauskas, the young generation of singers fostered the choral traditions; as a result, both the Birut6 and Gabija choirs functioned successfully for several decades. Also, church choirs would take the place of extinct secular choirs, because they understood that their duty was not only participating in liturgy, but also nurturing national and aesthetic feelings by means of their music. The choirs established their organizations primarily on the basis of political views. For example, Lithuanian socialists held a convention in 1914 in Chicago and its environs, with the participation of delegates from seven choirs; here they decided to found the Susivienijimas Amerikos lietuviq socialistq chorq (The Union of American Lithuanian Socialist Choirs). In Lithuanian Music in America 67 1915, the organization changed its name to Susivienijimas lietuvi~l socialist~ dainori~.4merikoje (The Union of Lithuanian Socialist Singers in America). Its main aim was organizing Lithuanians in America on the basis of song in order to excite the spirit of working people and elicit socialist feelings. The first convention of the Union took place in Chicago in 1919 with the participation of thirty-six delegates from ten choirs. The socialist Union united twenty-three choirs with 1,100 singers. In 1920, after the Communists became very active, the Union broke up along ideological lines.

Concert Activities

Today nobody knows when and where the first Lithuanian concert in America took place. One can only guess it could have been held in some inn, a dance party or a hall, just an attempt to sing and dance before spectators. In 1895 the organizers of a spectacle entitled Kankinimas katalik~IKra~iuose (The Torture of Catholics in Kra~iai), a commemoration of the Tsarist massacre of 1894 in this historic town in Samogitia, promised the spectators that "the performance will be accompanied by fine music, which will be played all during it, and by really patriotic songs" ("Lietuviszkas teatras"). (The first Lithuanian performance of a four-act-comedy Be sumen~s [Without Understanding] by A. Turskis was staged in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1889). Usually concerts were parts of other events. They otten took place after drama performances, meetings and conventions of various political and public organizations. But with the coming of operettas, musical performances, and later concerts as well, were arranged as independent events. The first musical performance of this kind was presented in 1901 when the organist Domininkas Ba~kauskas translated from Polish and published the operetta Lobzowenaj Paveikslas dramatiszkas wienam akte su dajnelem, perdejo D.T.B. Mahanoy City, Pa. (The Lobzovians. A one part drama with songs, translated by D.T.B. in Mahanoy City, Pa.) (~,ilevi~ius, Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 "Amerikos lietuvit~ ina~as" 356). Neither the libretto of the operetta nor the music had anything in common with Lithuanian themes. The drama depicted the Lobzovian wedding near Cracow, to be played by ten actors. Eight songs without accompaniment were written for the performance on the basis of Polish harmonic and melodic patterns. The operetta must have sounded alien to Lithuanians for it survived only a few performances. Its failure was also caused by a lack of good singers because, at the time, "a good choir was a rarity, and here even the accompaniment was absent" (~ilevi~ius, "Lietuvi~kai operetei 35 metai"). However, the Lithuanian operetta began to flourish with Petrauskas' arrival in the United States. In 1907 his own operetta Mal~nTininkas ir kaminkr~tys (The Miller and the Chimney Sweep) was staged in Brooklyn, 68 Danute Petrauskaffo and the next year the opera Birut6, referred to as both an operetta and a folk opera, was performed in Chicago. By 1920 Petrauskas had staged a number of his own operettas, including Vestuv~s (The Wedding), Velnias i~raddjas (The Devil Inventor), Apvesdinkite ir mane (Marry Me Too), Giri¢ karalius (The King of Woods), Pirmoji Gegu2& (The First of May), Elgetos duktO karalienO (Pauper's Daughter, the Queen), SienapjOtO (Cutting Hay). By all accounts, the performances were successes attracting large crowds of Lithuanians: in 1917, about 2,000 people watched The Devil Inventor in Boston (~ilevi~ius, "Amerikos lietuvit~ ~na~as" 356). Strumskis and Pijus Bukgnaitis, who for many years worked with the choirs of the VyturOlis, the Scenos myl&ojai (Lovers of the Stage) and OperetO (The Operetta) societies, also staged operettas. Strumskis took care of the music, while Buk~naitis directed. The latter also wrote librettos (for the operetta The Devil Inventor by M. Petrauskas) or translated texts of operettas from other languages. Those operettas spread rapidly throughout the Lithuanian colonies. Whenever possible, they were staged with the help of an orchestra; an instrumental group of ten people was usually kept for the purpose. Two operettas by Simkus, ~gonai (The Gypsies) and I#eivis (The Emigrant), were staged by the author along with the Birut6 choir. After the war, the operettas lost popularity: the easy operettas were no longer being written, while the more complex ones were too difficult to perform for the choirs which were decreasing in number and size. Meanwhile, the old operettas, even if suitable for a smaller number of performers, were no longer interesting for the majority of the public. In addition to the operettas, Lithuanians also began to arrange independent concerts of vocal and instrumental music. Choral music proved especially popular since for a long time Lithuanians did not have their own soloists -- either singers, violinists or pianists. In the first years of choral activities, solo parts were performed by untrained voices, but later more professional singers appeared. The most famous were M. Rakauskait6, M. t~i~auskien6, Z. Vitaitien6, S. Grei~iuvien6, M. Janu~auskien~, N. Gugien6, Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 M. Strumskien6, J. Mitrikait6, K. Menkelifinait6, O. Le~6inskait6, O. Klimavi~ifit6, O. Pocien6, M. Norkait6, P. Stogis, J. ~iuronas, and J. Kudirka. Among instrumentalists, the pianists A. Pocius, B. Luko~evi6ifit6, the violinists A. Beniulis, V. Grigaitis, and J. Jur~ikonis were well known. Lithuanian concerts and musical performances took place not only in their usual meeting places, but also in luxurious American concert halls. The first performance of Petrauskas' opera Birut~ was held in the International Theatre in the centre of Chicago. To make it easier for the spectators to get there, a special map of the city was provided. Besides the BirutO choir, members of an American symphony orchestra conducted by Theodore Thomas were hired for the performance. At the end of 1909, when the members of the Birut~ society commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary Lithuanian Music in America 69 of the first Lithuanian performance of Be sumen~s, it was proposed to celebrate the jubilee in the posh Garric Theatre. The idea was rather risky, as the rent alone for the premises was $400, in addition to the orchestra and other expenses. But things turned out well. On 2 January 1910 the performance of the comedy Without Understanding, Petrauskas' operetta Cutting Hay and the second part of the opera Birut6 attracted crowds of spectators. "To tell the truth, the profits of the evening were not great, but the members of Birut+ proved they can do great things" (Ilgaudas 16). Lithuanians gave concerts not only for their compatriots, but also performed in front of other nationalities. When notice of their work was taken by Americans, Lithuanians received well-earned compliments. On 21 June 1913 the j oumal Musical America published an article on Lithuanian music emphasizing its lyrical, epic and mysterious character ("Amerikieeiai apie lietuvit/dainas"). Popular works by non-Lithuanian composers were also staged in the Lithuanian language, including Faustus, Rigoletto, Lucia di Lammermoor. Thus, thanks to Petrauskas, parts of Gounod's Faustus were performed in Chicago, Brooklyn, Shenandoah, Waterbury and Boston. In church concerts, Masses by Polish and American composers were performed. The latter especially were competing with religious compositions of other authors, written as they were in the jazz style. But some organists tried to avoid the influence of jazz and chose religious compositions of classical artists, for example, Haydn, Weber and Rossini. Concerts of Lithuanian music were important in stimulating national feelings. During the concerts, speeches were made to encourage Lithuania's struggle for independence, and national anthems and songs were performed. At first, the initial stanzas of Adam Mickiewicz's Pan Tadeusz were sung. Later, the song Lai gyvuoj ruffs tauta (Long Live Our Nation), composed by the Rev. Juozas ~ilius on the basis of the popular American song My Country, was performed, as well as the song Tu Lietuva, tu Dauguva (You are Lithuania, You are Dauguva). The current national anthem of Vincas Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 Kudirka began to gain popularity only in 1901 when Ereminas published it in his song collection. In time original and harmonized folk songs, as well as songs by composers Juozas Naujalis, (~eslovas Sasnauskas (1867-1916) and Stasys Simkus, became increasingly popular. One of the most impressive songs was Simkus' Lietuviais esame rues gim¢ (We Are Born Lithuanians), often performed by choirs at the end of programs. As the Lithuanian compositions were not numerous, concert organizers would choose mixed programs: in addition to folk songs, they included compositions by Stanistaw Moniuszka and Chopin. One of the favorite compositions at concerts was Sasnauskas' cantata Broliai (Brothers). Jonas Ci2auskas seems to be the first to have performed it in Mahanoy City. In 1916, he also presented it in Worcester's 70 Danute Petrauskait~. Plaza Theatre to an audience of some two thousand. On 24 September 1914, Broliai was performed by a mixed choir and a symphony orchestra in Chicago, conducted by A. Pocius. Stasys Simkus advocated performances uniting a number of choirs. On 4 March 1916, he joined two choirs for a performance of several of his songs in Brooklyn. On 17 June of the same year in Newark, at a commemoration ceremony of the first Lithuanian immigrants, Simkus again conducted a large choir and the Lithuanian songs received favourable attention from the American audience. On 15 September 1916 twelve Lithuanian choirs united into a 500-singer ensemble and sang in the Military Exhibition in Chicago. This was probably the first mass performance of Lithuanian choir singers for an international audience. On 8 December 1917, another combined choir, which included groups from parishes in Brooklyn, Maspeth and New Jersey, performed at the Lithuanian Art Exhibition in New York. Combined concerts were especially popular in the larger Lithuanian communities of Chicago and Pennsylvania. Most Lithuanian-Americans greeted the restoration of Lithuania's independence with enthusiasm and their concert activities intensified. Choral gatherings were organized in virtually every major Lithuanian colony and they soon became a traditional part of the cultural life of Lithuanians. On 4 July 1919, the Baltimore Lithuanian choir led by (~i~auskas participated in the International Festival in Washington. During the same year Lithuanians were able to organize a concert in New York's famous Carnegie Hall. For Lithuanians, music was viewed not only as entertainment, a leisure activity or a means of artistic self-expression, but also as a form of national expression.

Musical Education

Music education among Lithuanian-Americans was initially quite informal. Following the example of better-educated "foreign" neighbours, Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 Lithuanians bought small harmonicas or pianolas, and arranged music lessons with organists. Girls especially liked singing solo in churches and playing the piano. The accordion was another popular instrument. The better-trained organists would give private lessons of music in their own apartments; there were many willing pupils and not all of them could be accommodated. The organists became the first teachers of music for Lithuanian singers and instrumentalists. The appearance of choirs and their concert activities were also of considerable educational value. Choir singers would bring their neighbours, friends, and family members to concerts where they would listen, watch and compare, and thus perceive the value of music as art. Choir leaders would use their influence to attract young people to sing in their choirs. Lithuanian Music in America 71 M. Petrauskas distinguished himself in this regard: he always attracted the attention of young people and inspired them to dance Lithuanian dances and sing national songs. Even in the summer, when going to seaside rest spots, Petrauskas would take along groups of young people, teaching them about nature, literature, art and music. He would select the more gifted youth and prepare them for the stage. Encouraging appreciation of musical culture was not easy. When Petrauskas gave his first public concert in Chicago, people reportedly talked among themselves, and some of them shouted at the top of their voices: "I thought there'll be something really good, but he just goes on singing all night" (~ilevi~ius, "Amerikos lietuvit~ muzikos pl6tojimosi bruo£ai" 277). But Petrauskas persisted, both as a singer and a choir leader: for Lithuanian immigrants his approach was the best form of encouraging appreciation of music. The immigrants listened to his voice in saloons, under the open sky and in concert halls. They not only drank beer: for many, this was their first exposure to classical music and the beauty of Lithuanian folk songs. But these concerts, during which the glasses kept clinking, people shouted at will, walked around and even fought among themselves, cost Petrauskas a great deal of physical and mental effort. But the composer never lost hope in his search for new ways to educate people, so that "with the help of music and songs they could enter the gate of life" (Petrauskas, "Kaip ir i~pa~intis"). Petrauskas established the first school of music in Chicago in 1910, the so-called Lithuanian Musical Conservatory, although, according to his own account, it actually began functioning, even if informally, in 1907. The school operated in accordance with the regulations which stated that its main goal was to "provide pupils with a complete education" ("Chicago Lietuvi~koji muzikos konservatorija"). The conservatory was going to train not only performers, but also teachers of music, although the majority attended in order to learn to sing or to play some musical instrument. The Lithuanian conservatory also provided some theory courses, such as those in elementary music theory, harmony and the history of music. Every year Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 or even more frequently, recitals took place there. The first performance was held at the beginning of 1911 in Chicago's famous Hull House. Petrauskas' pupils played and sang, after which community representatives made speeches and wished the school well. One report concluded that "everybody was glad to see serious cultural educational work in progress" (Petrauskas, "Kaip ir i~pa~intis"). In 1912 Chicago's Lithuanian conservatory moved to Brooklyn where Petrauskas urged Lithuanians to send their children to his school, since "young people, when they are busy with music, will refrain from all bad temptations: depravity, drinking, all sorts of debauchery, etc." (Mikas Petrauskas 63). But in a few years he began to worry: the majority of his school's pupils were Russians, Poles or Jews. Therefore, in 1915 he moved 72 Danute Petrauskaito the school to South Boston, densely populated by Lithuanians. The music school, attended exclusively by Lithuanians, survived there happily for ten years. Petrauskas was undoubtedly a talented teacher: his choirs and music school were attended by young people of their own free will. Other musical activists tried to pressure young people to get involved in music, a problem that was discussed in the press (Karu~a). The number of pupils fluctuated from thirty to 130 in any given year. Among the better-known pupils were O. Liutkevi~ifit6, A. Liutkevi~ius, A. Sodeika, A. Ba~iulis, J. Navadauskas, J. Varaitis, N. Rastenis, J. Veli6ka, J. Ziuronas, V. Putvinskait6, P. Ap~iega and others (Petrauskas, "Amerikos Iietuviy muzikos konservatorija"). The majority of pupils were not interested in acquiring a musician's qualification. Most studied for their own pleasure and chose only the subjects they liked. However, the Lithuanian conservatory was extremely valuable for Lithuanians and their children: it allowed them to get acquainted with the fundamentals of music and fostered an appreciation of Lithuanian songs. Thanks to Petrauskas' pupils, the level of the Lithuanian choirs rose, as conducting improved and the repertoire of the choirs became more varied. Petrauskas' departure left a gap in Chicago. In 1914, on the initiative of A. Pocius, a conservatory named after Beethoven was founded in this centre of Lithuanian culture. Pocius learned the fundamentals of music in Kaunas where he was taught by Naujalis. He came to America in 1905 and continued his musical studies in Chicago at the American Conservatory of Music, as well as at De Paul University. Before he founded the Beethoven Conservatory, he had visited Europe in order to get acquainted with schools of a similar type. On his return he wrote: Nations of higher cultural development have had their own musical institutions for a long time, where young people get training in different kinds of music. We Lithuanians do not have any similar institution in Chicago. As we feel the need for it and hear a lot of encouragement, we

Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 found the courage to establish the Lithuanian Music School this fall. Our wish is to get together the best teachers in one place, so that they could work in this field more successfully and give a better understanding about the music of their nation. (Aleksandravi~ius, Pocius) Pocius' new Beethoven conservatory offered classes in piano, the organ, the violin, voice, and wind instruments, as well as theory. The school employed about ten teachers, including Pocius himself who also acted as the principal. Some of the instructors had played in the orchestra of the noble Oginsky, the Prince of Rietavas. In 1917 quite a large symphony orchestra was formed at the Beethoven conservatory which gave concerts at Lithuanian events. The school included many non-Lithuanians since it was chartered as a public school and its graduates were awarded diplomas. The Lithuanian Music in America 73 graduates with teacher certification in music could work as teachers in the public schools. For his part, Stasys Simkus contributed to educational work by preparing young people for concerts in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Chicago and using the occasion to explain the significance of music. Simkus conceived a plan to provide choir leaders and persons interested in music with notes about music theory and harmony for a fee. He hoped to assign homework, correct the assignments and later arrange a one-month-course for such students to supplement the knowledge acquired by extramural studies (Simkus, "Domai norin6iyit~"). But he failed to implement the idea. In any case, Simkus was very active as a choir leader and an organist, and "by his talented work he influenced young musicians, all of whom tried more or less to keep in touch with him in the field of music" (Zilevi~ius, "Komp. Stasys Simkus"). At the time literature on music pedagogy was difficult to find. In 1915 the first Lithuanian primer on music theory, compiled by the organist J. Baronas, was published: l~simokinimas gaidg notq ant visoki~ instrumentq ir dainavimo (Learning to Read Music for Various Instruments and Singing). But the book was primitive both in form and content and did not play an important role in musical education. Periodicals were much more important in popularizing folk songs and encouraging the community to learn music.

Issues of Music in the Press

The first Lithuanian newspaper in the United States, Gazieta Lietuwiszka, rasztas paswestas dd Lietuwniku Amerikoje (Lithuanian Newspaper, a Paper Devoted to Lithuanians in America) was published in New York in 1879 by the St. Casimir Society and lasted for only a year and a half. But soon other publications followed: Lietuwiszkasis Balsas (The Lithuanian Voice) in 1885, Wienibe Lietuwniku (Unity of Lithuanians) in Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 1886, Garsas (The Sound) in 1892, Keleivis (The Traveler) in 1905, Draugas (The Friend) in 1909, Naujienos (The News) in 1914, Vytis (The Knight) in 1915, and many others. At the end of the nineteenth century, Juozas Zilius wrote: "The greater part of the Lithuanian national movement was transferred (from Lithuania) to America. It is here that the best Lithuanian newspapers and books are published" (Michelsonas 213). The first news of musical life appeared in the newspapers. Cultural news consisted primarily of information about various kinds of entertainment held in one or another place. Next to information of this type, lyrics of Lithuanian songs, patriotic and didactic, were published. Some of these lyrics were texts well-known in Lithuania, for example, Lietuva brangi (Dear Lithuania), while others were written in America and peculiar to the 74 Danut e Petrauskait ~. issues facing the immigrants, such as the attempts of Lithuanians to separate themselves from the Poles ("Daina apie Szenadori"), or the social problems of alcoholism ("Daina apie girtuoklius"). When concerts became more popular, they were covered in the press. These news stories could not properly be called reviews. Most often they would simply present the program of the concert, the names of the organizers and the participants, and not always accurately at that. Some of the authors openly admitted that their poor musical background kept them from assessing both the composition and its performance, and they criticized those who did so without a proper understanding of musical issues (Alyva, "Koncertas"). Another reason to withhold critical opinions was the fear of losing performers, who could take offence and go to the "camp" of some other nationality. Small wonder then that the correspondents would compliment the performers to no end, while even ordinary choir singers were presented as great artists. Anyway, some authors, even if they were not professionals in the field of music, made an attempt to analyze works of composers. For example, the priest Juozas Simonaitis (pen-name of J. E. A~arutis) published a major article on "The Influence of Lithuania on Chopin's Compositions" (A~arutis). This work was defined by Juozas ~ilevi~ius as a "great contribution to the treasury of our young Lithuanian musicology" (~;ilevi~ius, "Amerikos muzikin6 literatfira" 377). The newspapers also dealt with the issue of musical education. In 1901 commentator Ereminas wrote about the low level of culture among Lithuanian youth and the acute problem of hard drinking with parties ending in fights, suggesting that one solution to these problems lay in music. At the same time he worried about the poor "repertoire" of musical events when young people tried to match Lithuanian lyrics with American tunes or the Russian anthem ~o~:e ztap.u xpa~H(God Save the Tsar), calling for more suitable songs (~ilevi~ius, "Leonas Ereminas"). The first professional musician to write for the press was the ubiquitous Petrauskas. As soon as he arrived in the United States, he began to foster Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 musical education not only in choirs or with private students, but also in the pages of Lithuanian newspapers. His objective was to exploit the press for the purpose of providing at least some elementary knowledge about Lithuanian folk music and the role of music in human life generally. In 1909, the Chicago newspaper Lietuva published one of Petrauskas' major articles "From the Field of Music" which was later reissued as a booklet. The author emphasized that "art at large, and music in particular, is one of those things which often bring happiness to people's lives", and that "only a people with its own art is truly cultured" (Petrauskas, "I~ muzikos srities"). Petrauskas enlightened his readers about monophonic and polyphonic Lithuanian folk songs and Lithuanian musical instruments. In later works, he surveyed musical instruments around the world, including those of the Lithuanian Music in America 75 Lithuanians, and compared Lithuanian folk songs with the musical folklore of other nations. Petrauskas urged Lithuanian musicians to compose works reflecting the hard life in Lithuania, "the worries of our Motherland and its tears" (Petrauskas, "Sis tas apie muzik~l"), commented on the influence of music on shaping man's spiritual and physical power (Petrauskas, "Muzikos paj6ga"), advised singers on issues of voice training (Petrauskas, "Dainininkams"), and discussed other problems. Some of Petrauskas' ideas were rather superficial and controversial, but for all his mistakes, he contributed much that was topical and valuable. Stasys Simkus followed Petrauskas' example. As soon as he arrived in America, he used the press to address the Lithuanian community and explain his mission: "I came to you to tell you about the misery of the Motherland and to look for help for your shelterless and starving parents, brothers and sisters, wives and children" (Simkus, "1~ lietuvit/visuomen~"). This was not the only mission of the composer, and in 1915 he decided to publish a musical periodical. The Union of American Lithuanian Organists had obliged him to undertake the job in cooperation with other musicians and had even assigned some money for the purpose. But in order to maintain his independence, Simkus refused to cooperate with the organists and lost their financial support. In January 1916 Simkus personally financed the first volume of the magazine Muzika (Music). It was a modest publication, consisting mainly of articles on elementary music theory by ~imkus himself, the article "Life and Song" by R. Karu~a, and a few informational items and advertisements. Simkus described the great influence of music on man's soul, the training of the aesthetic feeling for music ("Some Words on Art"), advised choirleaders ("On Leading Choirs"), analyzed the history of Lithuanian choirs ("Our Choirs"), and raised the issue of reviving Lithuanian religious hymns ("On Our Church Singing"). Although Simkus had planned to publish four volumes of Muzika within six months, the enterprise was hampered because of a shortage of money. Strumskis was forced to support Simkus financially. In his introduction to Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 the second issue, Simkus urged his compatriots not to forget their national songs, tales and customs and to preserve the Lithuanian spirit in their hearts, even if they were separated from their native country. He hoped that his Muzika would also help prevent the denationalization of the many Lithuanians in Russia, whence they had been evacuated in 1915, and sent them about a hundred copies. Despite his hopes for a music periodical, the second volume of Simkus' Muzika proved to be the last. Some of the subscribers were sent Simkus' song O~elis (The Goatling) for a mixed choir instead of the expected third volume. Certainly, a major reason for Simkus' failure was his refusal to link the magazine with some political party or movement. For their part, the UALO, having failed to f'md another editor and 76 Danut e Petrauskaite a sufficient amount of money, abandoned the idea of sponsoring a periodical and simply published their material in other periodicals, especially Vytis.

Musical Compositions, Publications and Records

Upon their arrival in the United States, Lithuanian organists in particular felt a shortage of musical literature, especially of hymns and songs. Consequently, those who were able to read music began composing or adapting non-Lithuanian music for their own needs. The first Lithuanian hymn appeared in print in 1874. It dealt with the hard life of Lithuanians in Shenandoah and was published on a sheet of paper, probably by the priest Strupinskas (Michelsonas 181). The first publisher of Lithuanian sheet music was A. Di~kauskas, who used the mimeograph for printing Christmas hymns. He was followed by other organists, such as J. A. Zemaitis, J. Kovas-t~epukaitis and V. Medonis. Such collections of sheet music were a great financial support for Lithuanian choirs obviating the need to spend their money on purchases from publishing houses. Probably the most significant contribution in this endeavour was that of Ereminas who compiled Dainos (Songs), a collection of sixty-seven songs published by P. Mikolainis in 1901. Mikolainis also issued two volumes of Kankl6s by Vincas Kudirka in 1895 and 1899, a valuable collection which would have been lost had it not been published in the United States (~ilevi~ius, "Amerikos lietuviq muzikos pl~tojimosi bruo~.ai"). Ereminas' collection contained mainly German and Latvian songs since the compiler had been an active participant in the activities of these ethnic choirs and kne,w their choral literature well. The lyrics were translated by Stasys Maliauskas and Vincas Daukgys (the latter, as a violinist, contributed also to the musical side of the project). Caught up in the spirit of nationalism, they treated the Latvian and German texts very freely, substituting Lithuanian patriotic texts for the originals. Thus one Latvian song turned into a national Lithuanian hymn. In Erminas' collection, except Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 for Tautigka giesm~ (The National Hymn) by Vincas Kudirka, which eventually became the official anthem, only about one-eighth of the songs were Lithuanian. In spite of their "foreign" origins, these songs spread quickly and were soon performed by many different choirs. Therefore, Mikolainis published the second edition of Erminas' collection, which, due to its red cover, was dubbed "the red book." In 1908 the leftist Boston newspaper Keleivis published Revoliucijos giesm~s (Songs of Revolution), collected and adapted for choirs by Pijus Buk~naitis. For its part, Katalikas (The Catholic) published the first solo songs by Petrauskas in 1910, which re-appeared in a separate edition in 1913. Small compositions by A. Aleksis and A. Pocius were published by the newspapers Darbininkas (The Worker), Vytis and Draugas. Lithuanian Music in America 77 The UALO also contributed to sheet music publication. In 1912, the association published Kalddq giesm~ (The Christmas Hymn) by Povilas (~iurlionis, the brother of the famous Lithuanian artist Mikalojus (~iurlionis (1885-1911), and in 1912, Skamban~ios stygos (The Ringing Strings), a duet by Petrauskas, as well as his song for the choir, Gamta gradi (Nature Beautiful). In 1916, the Union published Petrauskas' operetta Sventoji naktis (Holy Night), which for several decades was unsurpassed among other Lithuanian compositions made for the stage. Later the Union announced a contest for the best choral hymn, but no one entered the competition. In 1919, in order to encourage authors, parish priests established a prize of $125 for two winners, but that did not help. Perhaps, some of the composers did not dare present their works to the contest committee, while others were simply not interested, as they had other venues for publishing their compositions. For example, V. Nickus had his Mass, vespers, hymns and songs published in 1914 on his own initiative, as well as a fantasia for the piano and violin, Kur banguoja Nemundis (Where the Nemunas Flows) in 1919. He was the first to start publishing Lithuanian dances for the piano and orchestra. Between 1910 and 1919, Nickus issued his dance collection, 2,irgelis, szokis (Horse Dance), the Album of Lithuanian Dances for Orchestra, Trimitas (The Trumpet) and the Album of Lithuanian Dances for Piano. For almost fifty years those dances were performed in Lithuanian-American parties and gatherings. In 1916, Stasys Simkus began publishing Lithuanian music in his aforementioned magazine, partly intended for the thousands of Lithuanians in Russia so that they could use Lithuanian material instead of succumbing to Slavic music, and for Lithuanians in America who would be reminded of the beauty of their national songs (Simkus, "Pratarm6"). But Simkus also tried to publish sheet music separately. His song for a mixed choir and piano Si# nedOlOlQ (On this Sunday) and a duet Plaukia sau laivelis (The Boat is Sailing) were published in Chicago in t916, and Valanddl~s kvartetas (An Hour's Quartet) by Petrauskas, in 1917. But Simkus did not publish sheet Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 music systematically; for this, he had neither the time nor appropriate conditions and thus had to cooperate with K. Strumskis, who became a professional publisher in 1917. The latter invested a large amount of money into his business, and printed a number of Lithuanian compositions and collections over several decades. One of the first publications consisted of choral and solo songs by Simkus which appeared in several series, each consisting of several volumes (twelve in the first and ten in the second). In 1920 Strumskis and Simkus established a joint venture for publishing sheet music: the S. Simkus & K. Strumskis Music Publishing Co. of Brooklyn. However, this venture broke up when the composer left for Lithuania. But Strumskis continued working alone and by 1920 had published ten more volumes of Simkus' compositions. 78 Danute Petrauskaite In 1917, The Lithuanian Music Conservatory in Boston began publishing and distributing sheet music. The conservatory issued a monthly volume of music, including at least some of Petrauskas' compositions, and extracts from his operas and operettas. Although the first volume of Lietuvigkos dainos (Lithuanian Songs) by Petrauskas was published in 1913 by Ipolitas Vaitkus in Brockton, Massachusetts, the conservatory's periodical Kankl~s made Petrauskas' music especially popular among Lithuanians in America. During the period 1917-1920, 44 volumes of Kankl~s were published. On the other hand, it must be said that not many Lithuanian immigrants could actually read music. But they loved the singing, especially the songs by Naujalis, Sasnauskas and Simkus, as well as the traditionally popular folk songs. Consequently, some song collections contained only the lyrics, without the music. Such collections were published in New York in 1918 and 1919, and yet another collection under the title U~nepriklausom# Lietuv# (For Independent Lithuania) appeared at the same time in Philadelphia. The first Lithuanian phonograph records were produced in New York in 1912, thanks to the choir leader Antanas Radzevi~ius. In 1912, along with the St. Cecilia choir, he produced some fifteen records for the Columbia company (Strolia). Before 1920, about two hundred Lithuanian records are known to have been imprinted in New York, three-fourths of them by Columbia, and the rest by the Victor company. In spite of their high price and of the fact that some of them contained recordings of other national groups, the records spread quickly among Lithuanians, reminding them of the songs of their native land. The history of Lithuanian-American musical culture in the half-century preceding the emergence of independent Lithuania was remarkably intensive and varied. These years included most of the period of the Tsarist press ban (1864-1904) when Lithuanian publications in the Latin alphabet were banned and Lithuanian culture was struggling to emerge from being under Russian censorship and control. This situation explains the important role of Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 America and Lithuanian-Americans in the development of Lithuania's culture in general, and of the evolution of the newly independent nation's musical life in particular.

Works Cited

Aleksandravi~ius, Antanas, and Antanas Pocius. "Steigiant lietuvit/ muzikos mokyklo." Katalikas (11 August 1914). Alyva. "Kas link prigul6jimo i draugijas." Katalikas (4 January 1912). ---. "Koncertas." Katalikas (5 September 1912). Lithuanian Music in America 79 Ambrose, Aleksas. Chicagos lietuviq istorija. Chicago: Lithuanian American Historical Society, 1967. "Amefikie~iai apie lietuviy dainas ir M. Petrauski." Rygos garsas (17 July 1913):1. A~amtis, J. E. "Lietuvos intekm6 i Chopino muzik~". Vytis 4-7 0919). "Chicagos Lietuvi~koji muzikos konservatorija." Vienybdlietuvnink~133 (1910). "Daina apie girtuoklius." Garsas Amerikos lietuvi~l (7 February 1895): 45. "Daina apie Szenadori,." Garsas Amerikos lietuvi~l (18 December 1984): 90. Ilgaudas, J. "Bruo~ai ig mano atsiminimy." 'Birut6s' 20me~ jubiliejinis leidinys. Chicago, 1927: 9-20. Karu~a, Romanas. "Kaip auklSti Amerikos lietuvit~ jauna,j~/karts" (Ateitis, 1915, spalio 7). "Lietuviszkas teatras." Garsas Amerikos lietuviy (14 February 1895). Lietuvi~l enciklopedija, XV t. South Boston: Lithuanian Encyclopedia Press, 1968: 420. Michelsonas, Stasius. Lietuvi~ igeivija Amerikoje. South Boston: Keleivis, 1961. Mikas Petrauskas. Ed. Jfirat6 BurokaitS. Vilnius: Vaga, 1976. Mockus, Stasys. "Muzikos ir &amos draugijos 'Gabija' istorin6 ap~valga, minint 25 me~ jubiliejq." Istorin~ Gabijos ap:2valga ir programa. South Boston, 1939: 25-8. Petrauskas, Mikas. "I~ muzikos srities". Lietuva (24 May - 4 June 1909). ---. "~is tas apie muzik~/." Vienyb~ lietuvnink~z (28 July 1915). ---. "Dainininkams." Ateitis (29 September, 7 October 1915). ---. "Muzikos pajSga, kaip menas gydymui." Lietuva (10 September 1920). ---. "Amerikos lietuviq muzikos konservatorija." Lietuvos :2inios 14 (1925). ---. "Kaip ir i~pa~intis." Sandara (June - July 1927). Pasaulio lietuviaL Ed. Petras Ruseckas. Kaunas: "Varpo" spaustuv6, 1935. Strolia, Vytautas. "Gramofono plol~teliq er~t u~baigiant." A. Muzikos 2inios 245 (1994):15-23. ~imkus, Stasys. "][ lietuvit~ visuomen~ Amerikoje." Draugas (17 June 1915). ---. "Domai norin6iqjq mokytis harmonijos ir muzikos teorijos." Muzika 2 (1916). ---. "PratarmS." Muzika 2 (1916). Downloaded by [Vilinius University] at 07:31 08 November 2011 ~ileviOus, Juozas. "Amerikos lietuviq muzikos pl6tojimosi bruo~.ai." Naujoji Romuva 168 (1934): 277-79; 172 (1934): 250-52. ---. "Amerikos muzikin6 literatfira." Naujoji Romuva 173 (1934): 376-78. ---. "Lietuvi~kai operetei 35 metai." Amerika 43 (1936). --. "Amerikos lietuviai muzikoje." Lietuva 10 (1940). --. "Komp. Stasys Simkus." Margutis 16 (1945): 5-6. ---. "Leonas Ereminas." Margutis 2 (1948): 18. ---. "Amerikos lietuviq ina~as i lietuvit] muzik~." Aidai 8 (1956): 352-62.