Mikaloius Konstantinas Chiurlenis Lithuanian artist and composer Date of Birth: 22.09.1875 Country: Lithuania

Biography of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis was a Lithuanian artist and composer, born in the Lithuanian city of Varena in 1875. He grew up in Druskininkai in a family of organists. Čiurlionis began his journey as a professional musician at the music school of Prince Nikolai Oginsky in Plunge, where he played the violin in the court orchestra from 1889 to 1893. He then attended the Warsaw Music School from 1894 to 1899, studying piano with T. Brzezicki and A. Sigetinsky, and later composition with Z. Noskowski. In 1901-1902, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, focusing on counterpoint with S. Jadassohn and composition theory with K. Reinecke.

After completing his studies, Čiurlionis worked as a private music teacher and began to explore the field of art. In Warsaw, he attended painting courses with J. Kauzik, and from 1904 to 1906, he attended the Warsaw School of Art. During this time, Čiurlionis became involved in the Lithuanian national revival movement as a composer and choir conductor, arranging Lithuanian folk songs. He participated in exhibitions in Warsaw, Vilnius, and St. Petersburg starting from 1905. His paintings stood out for their psychological originality, subtle colors, and unique expressiveness, with notable cycles such as "Creation of the World," "Winter," and "Zodiac."

From 1907 to 1909, Čiurlionis lived in Lithuania and St. Petersburg. In Vilnius, he actively participated in the cultural life of the Lithuanian people, co-founding and leading the Lithuanian Art Society, organizing exhibitions, performing concerts, and writing articles on art. In St. Petersburg, he established a strong connection with the circle of Alexander Benois in the Russian Art Society, which later transformed into the "World of Art" community. By this time, Čiurlionis had already created his most famous painting cycles, such as "Sonatas," consisting of parts Allegro, Andante, Scherzo, and Finale, as well as "Preludes and Fugues."

Čiurlionis passed away on April 10, 1911, at the age of 35, in a sanatorium near Warsaw, after a severe illness caused by a nervous disorder. Posthumous exhibitions of his works in Lithuania and Russia brought him wide recognition, and his artworks earned him the name of a genius, as stated by A. Benois. In this light, his musical compositions remained overshadowed by his paintings.

Čiurlionis composed two symphonic poems, "In the Forest" (1900-1901) and "The Sea" (1903-1907), the overture "Kastytis" (1902), a cantata for choir and symphony orchestra titled "De profundis" (1899), a string quartet, a capella choral works based on psalm texts, over 60 Lithuanian folk songs, and more than 200 piano compositions, including preludes, variations, "landscapes," and other pieces, as well as compositions for string quartet and organ.