A BALTIC MUSIC: THE FOLKLORE MOVEMENT IN LITHUANIA, LATVIA, AND ESTONIA, 1968-1991 Guntis Smidchens Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Folklore, Indiana University April 1996 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy. /> Linda Ddgh, Ph.D. S c t ^y. ~ ~ T Sandra K. Dolby, Ph.D. 14V y>_ a Henry Glassie, Ph.UT </, Toivo U. Raun, Ph.D. September 1, 1994 ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ® 1996 Guntis Smidchens ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. There is a Baltic music beyond words and language... — Ivar Ivask iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements When I departed from Latvia in June of 1992, Helm! Stalte turned to me with her warm gaze and generous smile, "May there always be good people around you!" Her wish was true to life. Many, many people and organizations have helped me in my work. I owe the most to my teachers. Linda D6gh, an inspiring scholar and demanding Committee Chair, guided me into the study of folklore. She was always generous with advice, constructive critique, and encouragement. Toivo Raun’s meticulously precise, broadly conceived historical research, and his collegial friendship are challenging models which I strive to emulate. The inspiring lectures and research of Henry Glassie and Sandra Dolby have helped me chart my research, and their careful readings and comments improved my work substantially. Lalita MuiZniece revealed to me the world of Latvian literature and folksongs. Felix Oinas, Harri Miirk, and Violeta Kelertas introduced me to the languages and cultures of the Estonians and Lithuanians. The four individuals whom I introduce in Chapter Five — Zita Kelmickaitt, Dainis and HelmT Stalte, and Igor TOnurist— contributed much more to my understanding of the Baltic folklore movement than can be acknowledged in footnotes. They invited me into their homes and families, and spent many hours patiently reviewing, explaining and discussing the colorful events that they experienced and precipitated. My work would not have been possible without the financial support of many organizations. The Indiana University Folklore Institute awarded me two Associate v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Instructorships during my graduate training. A Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship also supported my graduate work. Research for this dissertation was supported in part by grants from the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the United States Information Agency, and the U.S. Department of State. IREX awarded me a Developmental Fellowship to prepare for my trip to the Baltic, and sponsored my Long-Term Research Exchange to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. My research was also supported by a grant from the Joint Committee on Soviet Studies of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the American Council of Learned Societies, with funds provided by the U.S. Department of State. SSRC awarded me the Dissertation Fellowship which allowed me to write a substantial portion of this dissertation. Additional financial support for my research came from the Indiana University Grants-in-Aid of Research, the Indiana University Center on Global Change and World Peace, the Mellon Foundation, and the Richard M. Dorson Memorial Prize for Fieldwork. I completed writing while working as a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Scandinavian Studies and the Jackson School of International Studies at University of Washington in Seattle, surrounded by the excitement of the emerging Baltic Studies Program. Administrative support during my research exchange was provided by the Latvian Academy of Sciences, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and the Estonian Academy of Sciences, as well as the Folklore and Ethnography Sections of these Institutions. The Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian Folk Art Centers, the three Ministries of Culture, and the Lithuanian Television Studio provided valuable materials, advice and contacts during my stay in the Baltic. In 1990, when the Embassy of the USSR still terrorized all who wished to cross the Soviet border, Inroads Travel helped accomplish the impossible and extracted entry visas vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. when I had given up hope. The staff at the Indiana University Folklore Institute (Syd Grant, Velma Carmichael, Ruth Aten, Camille Rice) helped keep my academic house in order while I was abroad, and patiently carried many pounds of books I sent home upstairs, for storage in Inta Carpenter’s office. This dissertation benefitted from the ideas of many persons in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, whose valuable comments and criticism helped me develop my story of the Baltic folklore movement: I spent the most time discussing, debating and arguing with Dace Bula, Mare KOiva, Kristin Kuutma, Guntis Pakalns, Stasys Skrodenis, and the late Kristjan Torop. I am indebted to many others for ideas and insights, among them Aili Aarelaid, Heino Aassalu, Karlis Arajs, Vida Belkytt, Vilis Bendorfs, Helge Bernsten, MSrtigS Boiko, Elena Bradunaite-AglinskienC, Laima BurkSaitienfe, Antanas Fokas, Stasfe Gervien6, Viktors Gravltis, Kazys Grigas, Liongina Gudeliene, Viktor Gusev, Paul Hagu, Valdis Jurkovskis, Kazimieras Kalibatas, Liene KalnipS, Andris Kapusts, TOnu Karma, Ellen Karu, Stasys Kavaliauskas, Bronislava KerbelytC, Dzintars KJaviijS, Arnolds KlotiijS, Algirdas Klova, Pgteris KrTgers, Gita Lancere, Dace Liepniece, Maris LTniis, Povilas Mataitis, Umars Me2s, Valdis Muktupavels, Vytautas Musteikis, Anne and Alar Ojalo, Sergei Olenkin, Maie Orav, Liana Ose, Veronika and Vidmantas Povilionis, Gediminas Radvilas, Aldona Ragevi£ien&, Pauls Raudseps, figa Reizniece, Janis Rozenbergs, Ingrid RtiUtel, On6 SaltytC, Ain Sarv, Cie Sarv, Vaike Sarv, Leonardas Sauka, Ernests SpiCs, Bron6 Stundiienfe, Valda Suvcane, Jonas Trinkunas, Jiiri Uljas, Vanda UzelienC, Norbertas V&ius, Mara VIksna, JuratC VilkelytC, Eha Viluoja, Valda Vltola, Izaly Zemtsovsky, and Mara Zirnlte. In every country one meets persons who make one particularly glad to be there, the gracious hosts who spare no time or trouble to make guests from abroad feel at home. In Estonia, Zinta and I found such warm friendship in the companionship of Ellen Karu, Kristin vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Kuutma and Andres Lepp, Harri Mtirk, Vaiko Sepper, and Tarmo Tank; in Lithuania we had the great fortune to meet lima Anelauskien6, Jurga and Vaidas Cesnys, Audrius Dundzila, and Leonardas Sauka. In Latvia, we spent many happy hours and days in the homes of Biruta Briedis and the Valeika family (JSnis, Dze, Valdis, Lelde, OJgerts and Irena) and the PuligS family (Janis, Skaidflte, leva, Ilze, Guna, Gaida and Ieviga). Back in the USA, Zinta Smidchens, Perkunas and Zita Krukonis, Gita and Aidas Kupfiinskas, Inta Carpenter and Beverly Stoeltje read and commented drafts of portions of this dissertation. The late Professor Haralds Biezais at the University of Stockholm gave a penetrating critique of the sections pertaining to Herder and nineteenth-century folkloristics. Many ideas took their final form while I was teaching at the University of Washington, or giving guest lectures in seminars or classes taught by Thomas DuBois, Christine Ingebritsen, Henning Sehmsdorf, and Bradley Woodworth. The faculty and students at the University of Washington offered a stimulating environment and scholarly community. I found friendship as well as academic discourse in the home of Tom DuBois, Wendy Vardaman, Conor, Greer and Brendan. My fellow students and friends at Indiana University provided both intellectual stimulation and memorable occasions for procrastination. Linda Kinsey Adams and Billy Adams not only gave bountifully of their companionship and ice cream, but also lent me a camera for my fieldwork in 1990. Linda Breitag, Marlena and Roman Frackowski, George Schoemaker, the Thompson family (Todd, Linda, Quintin, Vella and Shadow), Ellie Valentine, Robert and Laura Walls, and Brad and Cherie Woodworth made life in Bloomington a happy experience. My work would not have been possible without the support of my family. My grandparents, parents, and parents-in-law are friends and advisors who accompany me in viii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. everyday life. They also gave me financial help at several critical points in my graduate career. My best friend, Zinta Smidchens has contributed to this dissertation in every possible way and saw it through, from beginning to end. Paldies devu Dievipam, Tas darbipS nodzlvots; Dievip, lldzi rocipSm Citu darbu padzlvot. (LTDz 6853) ix Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Guntis Smidchens A BALTIC MUSIC: THE FOLKLORE MOVEMENT IN LITHUANIA, LATVIA,