The Čiurlionis Family: Their Life in Music

Druskininkai small town was wreathed in music radiated from the Čiurlionis family home. Music and playing various instruments filled all the life of large Čiurlinis family. Father of the family Konstantinas served as an organist in Ratnyčia and Druskininkai. He led the first Lithuanian Druskininkai church choir, collected notes at home, and used to teach his nine children to play various instruments. The family used musical instruments made by prominent masters due to the fact that they had significant professional ambitions both to play and create music professionally.

Authentic artefacts from Čiurlionis family surroundings and rarely displayed music manuscripts, drawings and fragments of letters by painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis are presented in the exhibition.

The main accent of the exhibition – wood carving decorations from the organ which was played by artist’s father Konstantinas Čiurlionis. It is believed that his son Kastukas might have touched the carvings. Individual pieces of the organ have survived in Kabeliai church, Druskininkai neighbourhood.

Preserved in the Čiurlionis family church hymnal – father‘s gift to his son Povilas – is exhibited for the first time. This hymnal that counts more than one hundred years symbolises the importance of making music, singing songs and hymns and religion in the family life.

Organisers of the exhibition – Faculty of Arts of Vytautas Magnus University, M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Organ Heritage Centre.
Curator of the exhibition – Aušra Česnulevičienė, consultant Prof. Dr. Rasa Žukienė
Architect of the exhibition – Saulius Valius, exhibition desinger – Vilma Bražiūnaitė (“Ekspobalta“)