Documents of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
Lithuanian artist and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911) is one of the most prominent Lithuanian artists and creators of exceptional works. Among the most important manuscripts by M. K. Čiurlionis stored in the Manuscripts Department of Vilnius University Library is a fragment of the essay "Apie muziką" ("On Music"), which discusses Lithuanian folk songs and guidelines for professional Lithuanian music. The text, written by his wife Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė (1886–1957) for the book Lietuva (Lithuania), is supplemented with numerous examples of song melodies, the notes of which were written down by M. K. Čiurlionis himself. Also noteworthy are the manuscript of M. K. Čiurlionis' article on Lithuanian music, musical scores, and a note about a choir rehearsal to be held in Vilnius. Fragments of correspondence between M. K. Čiurlionis and his relatives, photographs, and material related to the preservation and dissemination of the artist's creative legacy after his death have also survived. Most of the documents related to M. K. Čiurlionis are found in the collection of his sister, museum curator Valerija Čiurlionytė-Karužienė (1896–1982) (F153), as well as in the collection of his sister, ethnomusicologist Jadvygos Čiurlionytė (1898–1992) (F168) and in the Mixed Collection (F5).
