Lietuvos muzikologija, t. 21, 2020 Danutė PETRAUSKAITĖ Vytautas Laurušas’s Worldview as Reflected in His Activity and Letters to Jeronimas Kačinskas Vytauto Laurušo pasaulėžiūros atspindžiai jo veikloje ir laiškuose Jeronimui Kačinskui Lietuvos muzikos ir teatro akademija, Gedimino pr. 42, LT-01110, Vilnius, Lietuva
[email protected] Abstract Vytautas Laurušas (1930–2019) was a composer, pedagogue, administrator, Communist Party activist, supporter of the restoration of Lithu- ania’s independence, and winner of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts. He lived and worked in two different epochs: in the Soviet era, that is, under totalitarian rule, and in independent Lithuania. The topic of this paper is Laurušas’s memoirs and epistolary legacy, and the aim is to explore his worldview, which allowed him to perform successfully in different times. The research is based on several methods: analysis of primary sources, the history of music, musicological literature, and periodicals, given the ideological context, as well as comparison and generalization of facts and interpretations. The paper does not claim to reveal the development of Laurušas’s mindset comprehensively and consistently, as it is based on only a minor part of his memoirs and letters; however, it is expected to be of use to those who want to study Laurušas’s artistic and social activities in depth. Keywords: Vytautas Laurušas, Jeronimas Kačinskas, Lithuania, the USA, music, Soviet era, Communist Party, national revival, diaspora, independence. Anotacija Vytautas Laurušas (1930–2019) – kompozitorius, pedagogas, administratorius, komunistų partijos veikėjas, Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimo šalininkas, Lietuvos nacionalinės kultūros ir meno premijos laureatas. Jis gyveno ir kūrė dviejose skirtingose epochose – sovietmečiu, t.