Mikas Petrauskas

Mikas Petrauskas (1873–1937) was a Lithuanian composer and choirmaster best known as the author of the first Lithuanian opera Birutė (1906). He was an elder brother of the singer Kipras Petrauskas.

Petrauskas learned to play church organ from his father and began working as an organist at the age of 15. He worked in Labanoras, Obeliai, and Hierviaty before enrolling at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1901. As a student, he wrote and staged the first Lithuanian operettas. In 1905, he moved to Vilnius where he became leader of the choir of Kanklės of Vilnius Society and staged his opera Birutė in 1906. Trouble with the Tsarist police forced him to leave the Russian Empire first for Switzerland and then for the United States. There he organized various concerts and theater performances, opened a music school, and established and led choirs and other performing groups among Lithuanian Americans. He organized and led Birutė choir in Chicago and Gabija choir in Boston. Both choirs continued to perform until 1950s. His music school operated from 1910 to 1924 and had up to 130 students per year. By his own estimate, during the first 17 years in the United States, he taught music and singing to some 4,000 people. He returned to Lithuania in 1930 and died in 1937.

Petrauskas works include two operas, 19 operettas, and about 200 songs.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 13, 1873 (Palūšė), Died March 26, 1937 (Kaunas)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1913 - 1928

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, tenor vocal, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 76 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-38056 10-in. 5/26/1927 Basakyk mergele Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
Victor BVE-38057 10-in. 5/26/1927 Kaip zalia rutete Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
Victor BVE-38058 10-in. 5/26/1927 Pavasario rytas Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
Victor BVE-38059 10-in. 5/26/1927 Sesutele Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
Victor CVE-38060 12-in. 5/26/1927 Devnios pacios Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
Victor [Trial 1913-04-28-07] Not documented 4/28/1913 Jo jau diena Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
Victor [Trial 1917-06-04-04] Not documented 6/4/1917 Birute's aria Petronele Jurgeliute Female vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor [Trial 1918-01-03-01] Not documented 1/3/1918 Ko liudit sveteliai John Hodell Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 45515 10-in. 4/2/1915 Lietuva Tėvynē Mūsų Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45516 10-in. 4/2/1915 Darbininkų marsalietė Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45517 10-in. 4/2/1915 Sukelkime kovą Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45520 10-in. ca. 1915 Kur banguoja Nemunēlis Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45522 10-in. ca. 1915 Birutė Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45523 10-in. 4/2/1915 Sveiki broliai dainininkai Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45524 10-in. 4/2/1915 Tykiai nemunėlis tęka Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45529 10-in. 4/3/1915 Už šilingėlį Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45530 10-in. 4/3/1915 Ko liūdit sveteliai Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45531 10-in. 4/3/1915 Saulelė raudona Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45532 10-in. 4/3/1915 Sių Nakcialy Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 45533 10-in. 4/3/1915 Jojau dieną Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 44651 10-in. either 1916 or 1917 Skambančios stygos Jonas Čižauskas ; Marė Čižauskienė Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 44668 10-in. approximately February 1917 Motuš, Motuš Karalienės Aniolų Parapijos Choras Mixed vocal chorus composer  
Columbia 44670 10-in. approximately October 1916 Oi Motule Karalienės Aniolų Parapijos Choras Mixed vocal chorus composer  
Columbia 44954 10-in. approximately January 1917 Dainius Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
Columbia 44955 10-in. approximately January 1917 Naujoji gadynė Mikas Petrauskas Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal, composer  
(Results 26-50 of 76 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Petrauskas, Mikas," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109981.

Petrauskas, Mikas. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109981.

"Petrauskas, Mikas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109981

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