Musical Folklore of Lithuania Minor During the Soviet Era (1946–1989): The Voices Lost and the Forms of Revitalization
Musical Folklore of Lithuania Minor During the Soviet Era (1946–1989): The Voices Lost and the Forms of Revitalization

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the musical folklore of Lithuania Minor and the forms and methods of its revitalization during the Soviet era (1946–1989). It aims to reveal the state of Lietuvininkai musical folklore after the Second World War, focusing on the specifics and outcomes of their collection, reconstruction, and revival within the broader context of the Sovietization of culture. The division of the territory, the emptying of the region, and its rapid resettlement by newcomers from across the USSR drastically altered the area’s demographic composition. As a result, musical folklore entered the final phase of its organic existence; the last authentic examples were documented through folkloristic fieldwork during this period. However, two closely related developments in the 1960s and 1970s – the ethnocultural movement and the establishment of the Klaipėda Faculties of the State Conservatory – created the preconditions for a cultural revival in the region. The pioneers and key figures in this revival were the folklore ensemble Vorusnė of the Klaipėda faculties and the instrument maker Antanas Butkus, who laid the foundations for revitalizing the instrumental music of Lithuania Minor. The forms and methods employed in the revival of musical folklore indicate that, during the Soviet period, the musical traditions of Lithuania Minor were effectively reclassified as intangible cultural heritage.

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