Antanas Račiūnas (4 September 1905, Užliaušiai – 3 April 1984, Vilnius) was a Lithuanian and Soviet composer and pedagogue. He was awarded People's Artist of the Lithuanian SSR in 1965.[1]

Antanas Račiūnas
Born(1905-09-04)4 September 1905
Užliaušiai, Russian Empire
Died3 April 1984(1984-04-03) (aged 78)
Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Occupation(s)Composer, pedagogue

Biography

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He graduated from the Kaunas People's Conservatory in 1933, where he was a student of Juozas Gruodis. In 1936, he published his opera Trys Talismanai. It was one of only two works by Lithuanian composers in the original repertory of the Kaunas State Musical Theatre.[2] Between 1936 and 1939, he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, Igor Stravinsky, and Charles Koechlin. He was a professor at both the Kaunas Conservatory and at the Vilnius Conservatory.[3] His students included the composers Bronius Kutavičius, Vytautas Barkauskas,[1] Vytautas Klova, Petras Vytautas Paltanavičius [ru], and Eduardas Balsys [lt].[4]

Račiūnas' music, including 10 symphonies, was noted for incorporating folk music and adhering to principles of the romanticism movement.[1][5]

Works

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Operas

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  • Trys talismanai (‘Three Talismans’, 1936)
  • Gintaro krantas (‘The Amber Shore’, 1940)
  • Marytė (1953)
  • Saulės miestas (‘City of the Sun’, 1965)
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References

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  1. ^ a b c Tauragis, Adeodatas. Root, Deane (ed.). Antanas Račiūnas. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  2. ^ Tauragis, Adeodatas. Root, Deane (ed.). Kaunas. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  3. ^ Wolverton, Vance (1998). "Breaking the Silence: Choral Music of the Baltic Republics. Part III: Lithuania". The Choral Journal. 38 (10): 27. ISSN 0009-5028. JSTOR 23552610. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  4. ^ Keldysh, Yuri (1990). "РАЧЮНАС Антанас" [Račiūnas Antanas]. Музыкальный энциклопедический словарь. Сов. энциклопедия. ISBN 5-85270-033-9. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. ^ Varanavičiūtė, Renata. "MICL – Music Information Centre Lithuania | Database – Classical / Contemporary – Composers – Antanas Račiūnas". Music Information Centre Lithuania. Retrieved 14 May 2023.