Playing the bandoneon in Tauragė region
It is thought that the German invented concertina and its variant – bandoneon – had arrived to Lithuania in the middle of the 19th century through Lithuania Minor, which was part of Eastern Prussia in that time, initially spreading in Tauragė region and some parts of the present Šilutė District. Already a hundred years ago there were people in major villages of the Southern Žemaitija, who played the bandoneon at weddings, dance parties, outings, youth get-togethers. Records from ethnographic research and recollections of local people testify that in the interwar and post-war periods the bandoneon was played in ensembles and solo, the instrument used to be repaired, tuned and crafted. Both manufactured and craftsmen-made one, two and four-voiced bandoneons were popular. Some bandoneons could switch to different registers modulating the volume.
Musicians from Tauragė and small towns in Tauragė District Gaurė, Lomiai, Skaudvilė, Pagramantis, Žygaičiai, small towns from Šilutė District, such as Vainutas, Bikavėnai, Žemaičių Naumiestis, Švėkšna and surrounding villages, distinguish for a rich repertoire, skilful technique and expressive performing style: meaningful accents of intonations and rhythms, melodic phrasing, well accorded accompaniment, an improvising ability. It was influenced by the mastery of performers and the features of the instrument – as depending on the direction of the bellows’ work, the same button of a concertina or a bandoneon produces different sounds, which allows switching to different tonalities and even produces chromaticisms.
Contemporary musicians have inherited the features of performing style of Tauragė bandoneon players – both men and women – and actively demonstrate the tradition playing solo and duo, in village instrumental and vocal groups, the ensemble “Velnio tuzinas” (“Devil’s Dozen”) founded in 1998 and folk groups. The tradition is transmitted in families (Ona Jakienė’s family in Lomiai is one such example). There are plans to start bandoneon lessons for children in music schools.
Submitter – Tauragė Culture Centre, 2018
Custodians – musicians of Tauragė region