DAUGAVPILS UNIVERSITTES 54.

STARPTAUTISKS ZINTNISKS KONFERENCES MATERILI

PROCEEDINGS OF THE 54th INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE OF DAUGAVPILS UNIVERSITY

MKSLA / ART
Egl Aleknait Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania

CHANGING MEANINGS OF FOLK INSTRUMENTS IN FOLK MUSIC REVIVALS: WHY MEMBERS OF LITHUANIAN FOLKLORE ENSEMBLES DO NOT LIKE SKUDUIAI?
Abstract The Lithuanian folk instrument skuduiai has been revived since the beginning of the 20th century and has gained attention in several Lithuanian folk music revival movements of the 20th the beginning of the 21th century. The instrument is also revived in the Lithuanian folklore ensembles movement. However the instrument is unpopular and unattractive in the ensembles. Having in mind that musical instruments can be perceived as social objects, the meanings of which are constructed, the reasons of unattractiveness of skuduiai are considered in this paper. It seems that this unattractiveness is mostly determined by the use of the instrument in earlier or other currently active folk music revival movements. The instrument is associated with boyishness, compulsory playing practices (in the secondary school), artificiality of stylized folklore and plastic instruments. In the folklore ensembles these associations overshadow potentially powerful meanings of the instrument as being something archaic, rural, ethnic, etc. This case illustrates how influential earlier revival practices can be to contemporary revivers and their social constructions and meanings even if contemporary revivers try to distance themselves from their predecessors.

Key words: skuduiai, folk music revival, meaning of the instrument The Lithuanian folk instrument skuduiai has been revived since the beginning of the 20 century and has gained attention in several Lithuanian folk music revival movements of the 20th the beginning of the 21th century. The instrument is also revived in the Lithuanian folklore ensembles movement which has begun in the 1960s. Many ensembles say they use skuduiai and some really play the instrument. However it seems that the instrument is unpopular and unattractive in the ensembles (especially in comparison to violin, accordion or kankls). Having in mind, that musical instruments can be perceived as social objects (Neuenfeldt 1998: 5-6), the meanings of which are constructed, the reasons of unattractiveness of skuduiai are discussed in this paper. To this end the relevant meanings constructed in scholarly discourse, the revival history, practices of folklore ensembles and images of members of folklore ensembles are considered. The research is based on observations of performances and interviews with members of folklore ensembles. Scholarly interpretations of skuduiai and its players In the works of Lithuanian ethnomusicologists (who usually are active revivers of ethnic music too) skuduiai is presented as an instrument related to very archaic layers of 877
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Lithuanian culture. Despite of the emphasis on archaicity, two tendencies can be distinguished in the work of scholars. Some of them emphasize the Lithuanianess, while for others this archaicity transcends the Lithuanianess and is constructed on the bases of multi-ethnic comparisons. So although Algirdas Vyintas regards ensembles of skuduiai as the oldest instrumental ensembles in the history of humanity, but also emphasizes that these ensembles and their music mostly reflect laws of Lithuanian national musical thinking which developed during millenniums (Vyintas 2006: 11); while Rta arskien concludes that instruments similar to skuduiai could exist in the forest zone of all North-Eastern Europe since the Stone Age, and seedbeds of Lithuanian, Russian and Komi skuduiai playing are only small islands which remained till the 20th century (arskien 2003: 167). There are speculations about sacred nature of the instrument and its playing (arskien 2003: 131-145; Apanaviius 2009: 244-245) or skuduiai is seen even as a magic instrument of archaic matristic culture (arskien 2003: 107-111). However, according to Apanaviius, despite obvious sacredness of skuduiai playing and its associations with very archaic stages of cultural development, we know nothing about images of skuduiai players, their possible role other than musical one. In 19-20th centuries all performers, although being outstanding personalities, were generally ordinary members of a village community and did not perform any charms, rituals or other means to influence the people around (Apanaviius 2009: 241-245). In the 19-20th centuries skuduiai (before the revival of skuduiai playing) was prevalent in a rather small region of Lithuania: the instrument was played in present-day districts of Birai, Kupikis and Rokikis in the first half of the 20th century. In the second half of the 19th century the practice was known in present-day districts of Pasvalys, Zarasai, in some parts of the districts of Panevys, Ukmerg, Anykiai, Utena too (arskien 2003: 167). Mostly men played the instrument while herding cows and horses, doing agricultural works (for example, during haymaking, rye harvest), in seasonal festivals, in weddings, entertainments, communal works and other occasions (arskien 2003: 101-106; Apanaviius 2009:136). Revival of skuduiai In the beginning of the 20th century the Lithuanian intelligentsia already knew about skuduiai from the works of Adolfas Sabaliauskas and other ethnomusicologists (Sabaliauskas 1894; Sabaliauskas 1911). Later this instrument found its way to schools. The pioneer of the use of skuduiai in education system was Stasys Paliulis, who organized the first group of skuduiai players in 1920-1921, while learning at gymnasium in Panevys. Later, in 1923, he organized a group of student skuduiai players in the University of Kaunas. 878

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From 1925 he as a teacher organized skuduiai ensembles in various schools in Birai, Raseiniai, Vilkija, Kaunas and other places. Later some more teachers joined activities of reviving of skuduiai in schools of various other places in Lithuania. So during 1930s skuduiai was revived and became popular among the youth (Vyintas 2006: 71-77). During Soviet times the popularity of skuduiai increased, especially in the sphere of stylized folklore. Contemporary popularity was heavily influenced by inclusion of the instrument to school curriculum (Merkelien 2010: 105). Following this inclusion, the need for large quantities of the instrument has grown and there has arisen the question of material, from which to produce it for mass use. There were attempts to produce skuduiai from various materials for example, from plastics. And although ethnomusicologists-pedagogues tend to speak about effective use of ethnic instruments for development of positive attitudes of students towards ethnic culture in schools (Palubinskien 2007: 46-56), the interviews with members of folklore ensembles show that their experience of the instrument at school quiet often contributed to the unpopularity of skuduiai in folklore ensembles. Skuduiai in folklore ensembles The movement of folklore ensembles evolved as a cultural resistance to the Soviet regime, including Soviet forms of use of folk music, its ideologisation and stylization. Folklore ensembles aim at performing folk music authentically, in this way rejecting both Soviet and earlier Lithuanian forms of folk music revival. In addition, the greatest attention is paid to singing while instrumental folklore and dances carry out auxiliary function in this movement. The strong regional or locally defined identity, direct experience of and connections with the countryside are also its essential characteristics. Skuduiai was included into the repertoire of folklore ensembles already in the beginning of the movement. Now majority of folklore ensembles claim that they play old folk music instruments and skuduiai is mentioned as such an instrument most often in their websites and other presentations. Members of the ensembles I interviewed also told me that they play skuduiai. However, the instrument is used in quite rare occasions, for example, when the ensemble needs an especially rich program. Skuduiai is perceived as a simple instrument, which can be played by anyone in an ensemble. On the other hand, it can be noted that particular groups of ensemble members men, youth or children usually play skuduiai more often. Analysis of records of folklore ensembles show that playing of skuduiai in essence has remained a matter of just few ensembles of Vilnius or other bigger towns. Only two regional ensembles presented playing of skuduiai in their records. 879

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It appears that a leader of a folklore ensemble plays an especially big role in promoting the playing of skuduiai: pieces of skuduiai playing are a part of a repertoire which mostly depends on initiative of a leader and not of members of folklore ensemble. It can be noted as well that a leader of folklore ensemble Dijta which is one of the most active user of the instrument is a scholar researching the old skuduiai playing. The accounts of members of folklore ensembles give an impression that the use of skuduiai is quite compulsory or at least unpopular practice for them. Images of members of folklore ensembles Virtually all members of folklore ensembles agree that skuduiai has not been an instrument used by musicians and everybody could play it. It was an instrument of youth and especially of children and later growing-up youth moved to other musical practises. Some members think that skuduiai is a male instrument; others maintain that it has been played by both men and women. However the playing of this instrument most often is seen as a childish practice of herds, i.e. not a virile or genderless activity. Members of folklore ensembles associate skuduiai with a region of (North) Auktaitija. However regional associations of this instrument are not so strong as in the case of, for example, folk songs and kankls. Weak regional associations can be a result of the attempts, of earlier revivers to incorporate skuduiai playing into school curriculum, which have transformed skuduiai into a national instrument with no regional implications. No members of folklore ensembles mentioned that their grandparents, parents or kin played skuduiai; very few respondents saw this instrument in the countryside in their childhood and none encountered it in fieldwork expeditions. So it is impossible to reconstruct skuduiai playing folk on the bases of sources which are the most important in the folklore ensemble movement. Feelings or fantasy as the source of reconstruction sometimes are mentioned too. However the majority of members of folklore ensembles have maintained that they do not know who played skuduiai earlier, because did not see it in countryside. Having in mind that some members of folklore ensembles learned to play skuduiai in their ensembles and the biggest part of members of folklore ensembles joined the folklore movement already having the experience of skuduiai playing obtained in schools or ensembles of stylized folklore, it seems that main sources of childishness of players and aregionality of the instrument are images absorbed in these earlier experiences. Reasons of unattractiveness Interviews show that for the majority of members of folklore ensembles skuduiai is an unattractive and not interesting instrument. The main reasons of this unpopularity are related 880

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to relevant national symbolism and earlier practices of skuduiai playing revival. The transformation of skuduiai into a national instrument in the beginning of the 20th century was a utilitarian project, based more on practical reasoning (cheap instrument, which could be used by collectives, e.g. of schoolchildren), and not on national imagery and impressive symbols (as in the case of kankls). Later, in Soviet times, the national nature of this instrument was violated by its use in stylized song and dance ensembles and in schools. Then the image of the plastic, mass produced instrument which became popular in schools as a compulsory means of education was more visible and relevant. Associations of plastic which was used for the production of skuduiai also violated the meanings related to the instrument or presented new ones however, disadvantageous for popularity of the instrument in folklore ensembles. Finally, can child cowherds as principal players of this instrument in the visions of members of ensembles be a powerful symbol? In the Lithuanian national imagination of the 20-21th centuries much more value is attached to a ploughman; child cowherds are marginal people, who are not fraught with culturally valued meaning; signs of deprivation and poor childhood do not show any potential in the consciousness of members of folklore ensembles. Some of them say in no uncertain terms: skuduiai is not so significant instrument as kankls for me. Thus scholars discourses about ancient, primordial layers of meanings are casted into the shade by images nurtured by earlier revival practices and therefore are not interesting for members of folklore ensembles. It can be concluded that this unattractiveness of the instrument is mostly determined by its use in earlier or other currently active folk music revival movements, i.e. in stylized song and dance ensembles and in skuduiai playing in secondary schools. These earlier practices determine negative associations and meanings of skuduiai for the members of folklore ensembles: the instrument is associated with childishness, compulsory playing practices (in the secondary school), artificiality of stylized folklore and plastic instruments. In the folklore ensembles these associations overshadow potentially powerful meanings of the instrument as being something archaic, rural, ethnic, etc. This case illustrates how influential earlier revival practices can be to contemporary revivers and their social constructions and meanings even if contemporary revivers try to distance themselves from their predecessors.

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