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Vincas Kudirka

Vincas Kudirka (Polish: Wincenty Kudyrko; 31 December [O.S. 19 December] 1858 – 16 November [O.S. 4 November] 1899) was a Lithuanian poet and physician, and the author of both the music and lyrics of the Lithuanian national anthem, "Tautiška giesmė". He is regarded in Lithuania as a national hero. Kudirka used the pen names V. Kapsas, Paežerių Vincas, Vincas Kapsas, P.Vincas, Varpas, Q.D, K., V.K, Perkūnas.

Kudirka was born in Paežeriai, in the Augustów Governorate of Congress Poland (present-day Lithuania). He began studying history and philosophy in Warsaw in 1881, but changed his major to medicine the following year. During his studies, he was a member of the revolutionary organization Great Proletariat, for which he was arrested and expelled from the university in 1885. He was reinstated as a student in 1887. He graduated in 1889, and worked as a country doctor in Šakiai and Naumiestis.

During his school years Kudirka was writing poetry in Polish. In 1888 he began writing poetry in Lithuanian. As a middle school student, he considered himself a Pole, but under the influence of Lithuanian national activists, including Jonas Jablonkis, he embraced Lithuanian national consciousness. Simultaneously he became more active in the Lithuanian national rebirth movement. Together with other Lithuanian students in Warsaw, he founded the secret society Lietuva ("Lithuania"). The following year the society began publishing the clandestine newspaper Varpas ("The Bell"), which Kudirka edited and contributed to for the next ten years. In issue number 6 of Varpas, in September 1898, he published the text of Tautiška Giesmė, which would officially become in 1918, the Lithuanian National Anthem, set to music written by Kudirka himself. In the 1890s, he was writing correspondence for the Warsaw weekly "Głos" under the pseudonym Nemunas.

Kudirka gave much to Lithuanian culture, and also published a collection of Lithuanian popular songs. He was also a noted writer of satire. Kudirka is considered a good translator, having translated the works of George Byron, Friedrich Schiller, Juliusz Słowacki, Adam Asnyk, Maria Konopnicka and Adam Mickiewicz into Lithuanian.

He died of tuberculosis at Naumiestis, on 16 November 1899, at age 40. The second half of "Tautiška giesmė" was engraved on his gravestone.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 31, 1858 (Vilkaviškis), Died November 16, 1899 (Kudirkos Naumiestis)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1918 - 1933

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist

Notes: Given as Dr. Kudirka in Victor ledgers.

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

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-21339 10-in. 1/4/1918 Tautiškas himnas King's U.S. Foreign Band Band composer  
Victor B-21342 10-in. 1/4/1918 Dēdiemē polka King's U.S. Foreign Band Band composer  
Victor B-21820 10-in. 5/2/1918 Himnas Lietuva tēvynē Jonas Butēnas Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BS-75911 10-in. 6/30/1933 Varpelis valcas Budrik Radio Accordionola ; Stasys Rimkus Accordion trio, with male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Victor [Trial 1918-04-13-01] Not documented 4/13/1918 Lietuva brangi manc tivyne Ella Steif Female vocal solo, with piano composer  
OKeh S-71098 10-in. Dec. 1922 Lietuva tévyne musy Operetés Choro Kvartetas Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
OKeh S-71607 10-in. 6/7/1923 Tautiskoji daina Operetés Choro Kvartetas Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
OKeh S-71609 10-in. 6/7/1923 Lietuva tévyne musy Operetés Choro Kvartetas Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kudirka, Vincas," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106243.

Kudirka, Vincas. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106243.

"Kudirka, Vincas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106243

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