The website uses cookies for its smooth operation, to improve the browsing experience, for marketing. More about cookies used and how to opt out - Privacy Policy

Vilnius book Fair 2013 (read)



Share with friends:

Projekto parneris keitykla TOP EXCHANGE

All panoramas of this object: Vilnius book Fair (15)

Description

With his short, crew cut hair and distinctive facial features, he was a man whose appearance and presence stood out in a crowd. He was Anicetas Puškorius. He often walked the streets of Kretinga – thoughtful, immersed in a maze of creative ideas. Sometimes, surrounded by friends, he would don the attire of a Vaidila (a high priest in pre-Christian Lithuania) – a long linen shirt, a wig, and an artificial beard, with Kanklės (a Lithuanian psaltery) in hand, he would recite his own poem, usually about Lithuania, of course. He would later carve a 3,2 m sculpture of Vaidila, which still adorns the town of Kretinga. He remains Vaidila in people’s memories – someone who deeply believed in what he said and did, a man, who loved his family, his work, God and his Homeland.

Anicetas Puškorius was a folk artist, a carver from the Samogitia region of Lithuania, a storyteller, a singer, and an honorary citizen of the Kretinga district. He was born on the 23rd of November, 1911 in Kretinga district’s village of Skaudaliai. A lively and curious child, he would often run to listen to the babbling brook, to birdsong, to admire the blue sky. He was interested in everything, he wanted to absorb and know all that he could. When his older sister gave him a book, he was overjoyed. First he copied all of its pictures and later he carved them all: a hedgehog, a cow, a horse and other animals. While shepherding he was constantly rummaging for the right piece of pine bark and as the cattle rested, he did what he enjoyed most – carving. He carved and dreamt of becoming a “real artist.”

Soon he began to participate in exhibitions. He himself has said, “I gathered all my animals and brought them to the exhibition organized in Kretinga in 1928, and they were acknowledged with a third place certificate of merit and thirty litas.” At the 1929 agricultural and industrial exhibition held in Skuodas he won a second place certificate and a four-volume book of folk art. At age 25 he was an acknowledged folk master. He exhibited his work in national exhibitions, as well as in Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy. In 1960 he became a member of the Lithuanian Folk Art Society and a recipient of the Ministry of Culture’s Paulius Galaunė award.

This craftsman was artistic and eloquent. He had a natural ability for giving well-expressed and meaningful speeches, he loved to recite poetry, to act, he wrote plays and poems, which he signed with the pseudonyms Dreamer (Svajoklis) or Son of the Storm (Audros sūnus).

A. Puškorius is best known for his Shrovetide masks. He played a major role in promoting Shrove Tuesday carnival celebration in Samogitia, often as one of the organizers and participants. When Shrovetide celebrations were banned in Grūšlaukė (Kretinga district), he moved them to Plateliai where the annual celebration continues to thrive. He has created a myriad of Shrovetide characters and devils, although he never used the word “devil,” preferring to call them imps or bogeymen.

A. Puškorius’ pieces are unique – the meticulous carving and anatomical accuracy catches the eye. He created his best and most developed works after he reached sixty years.

He died on December 19, 1994. He was a modest and exceptionally hardworking man who will always be remembered through his work.

A. Puškorius’ multifaceted modes of expression were not limited to carving, storytelling, and folk wisdom. Song was also very important. In 1952 musicologist Genovaitė Četkauskaitė chose him from among a pool of folk singers of the time to record songs for the Lithuanian Radio library (now stored at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre folk music archive – KF 3420 8-20), which attests to the fact that A. Puškorius was a singular talent. His songs flowed freely, you can hear the prolongations and little turns typical of the Samogitian dialect, and you sense that he simply savors the beauty of the sounds. The musical undulations in the singing are inseparable from Samogitian features of speech. This is especially apparent in lyric, through-composed songs such as The sun has now set (Jau saulutė leidos), Oh thrush, little thrush (Ok strazdeli, strazdeli), In the dark night (Tamsiuojė naktelie). Funny, expressive song lyrics, filled with uninhibited Samogitian humor were an obvious reflection of the singer’s personality. One of the most interesting songs, performed in semi-recitative, is the formula song – Oh who is from the hill (Vuo kas ėš tuo kalna). Researchers attribute the song to children’s repertoire, but ethnomusicologist Evaldas Vyčinas also perceives remnants of the old world creation myth: in the mythical center of the world, on top of the mountain, life emerges from the tree of life (to drum-like words such as bumbo, bomo, bumbulo, būgno). The declamatory performance style indeed resembles drumbeats. This children’s song may be a rare extant example of ritual music.

In addition to songs for weddings and other festivities, songs of war and historic events, the singer’s repertoire includes a rare Samogitian Christmas wassailing song. The text attests to its literary origins, but the melody complies with ancient Samogitian vocal traditions.

In most cases a second voice is needed to reveal the distinctiveness of Samogitian songs. This album contains three such songs (in the 13th song Anicetas’ wife Birutė Puškorienė sings the harmony part; in the 14th and 15th songs Anicetas Puškorius harmonizes to Birutė Puškorienė). The wedding bridal liberation song The seagull has called (Sokrioka kriokoželis) stands out for its uniquely Samogitian melody and vocabulary. In Three sisters on the mountain (Trys sesutės ant kalnelio) we hear two singers – strong distinct personalities who demonstrate a particular brand of concord in their performance.

We would not be able to fully reveal the persona of Anicetas Puškorius without including fragments of his folklore narratives. This CD includes several characteristic regional stories, tales and legends in the rich Samogitian dialect.

The album includes recordings from the Ethnomusicology archive at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Institute of Musicology (KF 3420 Nr.8-20), as well as the Palanga Municipal Public Library.

The publishers would like to thank ethnographer Zita Baniulaitytė for access to the sound archive collection at the Palanga Municipal Public Library.

Diana Brazdeikienė
Varsa Liutkutė Zakarienė

1. Aisiu pypkas užsikurti – I‘m going to light my pipe (vaišių-feasting song) 2‘44“
2. Tomsiuojė naktelie – In the dark night (vestuvinė – wedding song) 2‘20“
3. Labryt sosiedeli – Good morning, neighbor (vaišių – feasting song) 1‘00“
4. Jau saulutė leidos – The sun has now set (šeimos-family song) 5‘30“
5. Mona mergelė – My girl (vestuvinė – wedding song) 2‘20“
6. Plungie gieriau – I drank in Plungė (vaišių – feasting song) 0‘41“
7. Siuntė moni Nastuzelė – Nastuzėlė sent me (meilės – love song) 2‘01“
8. Jau aušrelė beauštanti – The dawn is almost breaking (šeimos – family song) 1‘54“
9. Ok, strazdeli, strazdeli – Oh thrush, little thrush (apie gamtą-song about nature) 1‘25“
10. Tunda Kaziuka – Come now, dear Casimir (vestuvinis ratelis – wedding play-party) 1‘04“
11. Važiousem kaliedoti – We‘ll go wassailing (kalėdų-literatūrinė – Christmas song) 1‘17“
12. Vuo kas ėš tuo kalna – Oh who is from the hill (formulinė – formula song) 4‘50“
13. Neklausiau tieva nei muotinelės – I did not listen to mother nor father (karinė- istorinė – historic/war song) 3‘20“
14. Sokrioka kriokoželis – The seagull has called (vestuvinė – wedding song) 2‘57“
15. Trys sesutės ant kalnelio - Three sisters on the hill (vestuvinė – wedding song) 1‘07“
16. Balsas sietuvuo – A voice in the whirlpool (pasakojimas - narrative) 0‘41“
17. Karieta pelkėje – A chariot in the marsh (pasakojimas - narrative) 0‘30“
18. Kiaulė Pilalės kalne – A pig on Castle Hill (pasakojimas - narrative) 1‘35“
19. Muzikantas velnių vestuvėse – A musician at a wedding of devils (pasakojimas - narrative).3‘13“
T.T. 40‘49“

Leidėjas/Publisher: Kretingos rajono savivaldybė/Kretinga municipality, Lietuvos muzikos ir teatro akademija/Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
Sudarė/Compiled by: Varsa Liutkutė Zakarienė, Diana Brazdeikienė
Vertėja/Translated by: Emilija Sakadolskienė
Garsas/Sound engineer: Varsa Liutkutė Zakarienė
Dizainas/Design:

Till toppen