XIX amžiaus Vilniaus bažnyčių muzikiniai kolektyvai
19th Century Musical Ensembles in Vilnius Churches

Summary/Abstract: In the 19th century the churches of Vilnius hosted the performances of musical ensembles of varied composition: Gregorian chant groups, small vocal ensembles (with an organ accompaniment), multi-vocal choirs and orchestras. The latter musical ensembles can be generally referred to as choirs (Lith. kapela). The analysis of the sources leads to a conclusion that the activities of vocal instrumental choirs and Gregorian chant groups prospered until the middle of the 19th century; in the second half of the century the activities of these ensembles deteriorated. It was determined by several reasons: on the one hand, the popularity and financing of ensembles reduced; on the other hand, the cultural climate and artistic tendencies changed – the previous tendencies became out-dated, which naturally promoted the interest in new possibilities – specifically multi-vocal choral singing. At the end of the 19th century the majority of Vilnius churches had multivoca choirs. Vilnius Cathedral, Trinity Church, Church of Sts Johns, St George Church and other churches had the most famous 19th century church ensembles.

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