Vilnius, Varšuva, Paryžius: Lenkijos šiuolaikinės muzikos draugijos Vilniaus skyriaus veiklos programinės gairės (1930–1939)
Vilnius, Warsaw, Paris: prospective guidelines of activities conducted by the Vilnius Branch of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music (1930–1939)

Summary/Abstract: The article investigates the activities conducted by the Vilnius Branch of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music during the period of 1930–1939. Research analysis covers the background of the organisation’s foundation, its prospective guidelines and international relations. The preserved archival sources, correspondence of musicians, interwar periodicals and specialist literature are used to refine the factual history of the branch and to disclose the local and international contexts of its activities. The publication presents an exhaustive analysis of modern music promotion at concerts and dissemination of works by Vilnius-based composers via radio broadcasts, as well as collaboration with the Association of Young Polish Musicians in Paris. Acknowledging that the organisation (active during the interwar period) was comprised of proactive and innovation-oriented composers, music critics, performers and other artists from Vilnius, the article specifically discusses the initiatives and artistic attitudes of Tadeusz Szeligowski, Stanisław Węsławski and Witold Hu- lewicz. Further investigation into the international context of activities conducted by the Vilnius Branch of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music reveals that the organisation’s programme preferred versions of moderate modernism, which at the international music scene of the time were represented by modern French, Polish or Russian music, or the German composers presenting an alternative to Schönberg School. The publication ends with a conclusion that opposition to a conservative local concert life and mass public taste have determined why the Vilnius Branch of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music occupied a niche position in the cultural space of the city. Nevertheless, the activities carried out by the promoters of modern music are regarded as a significant contribution in building the modern music scene in Vilnius and promoting the works of local composers in foreign countries.

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