1907

Čiurlionis completed orchestration of the symphonic poem The Sea and started working on the new symphonic poem Creation of the World.

In the first half of the year he painted 50 works.

In the autumn, he moved to Vilnius, participated in the constituent assembly of the Society of the Lithuanian Art and was elected to its executive board. He met the writer Sofija Kymantaitė at the dress rehearsal for Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis’ drama Blinda. The number of paintings he completed this year is huge: Sonata of the Sun and Sonata of the Spring, the triptychs Raigardas, My Road, The Prince’s Journey, Summer, the cycle of eight paintings Winter, The Zodiac cycle, the painting Forest, etc.

Winter – spring 1908

Čiurlionis lived in Vilnius, led the Vilniaus Kanklės choir. He gave a concert with the choir and as a pianist. Assisted by Sofija Kymantaitė, Petras Rimša and several other enthusiasts, he put on the Second Exhibition of the Lithuanian Art in Vilnius and Kaunas, and created the cover design for its catalogue and a poster. He displayed more than 60 of his latest works in the exhibition.

The same year, he joined the discussions in Viltis regarding the founding of the House of the Nation, campaigned to raise the funds for its establishment, and promised to donate all his works to it.

On 30 May, conducted by the composer, Čiurlionis’ cantata De Profundis was premiered in Vilnius.

June 1908

During a stay in Druskininkai, he painted Sonata No. 3 (Sonata of the Serpent), Sonata No. 4 (Sonata of the Summer), and the diptych Prelude. Fugue.

July 1908

Together with his fiancée Sofija Kymantaitė, he stayed in Palanga, where he painted Sonata No. 5 (Sonata of the Sea), the diptych Prelude and Fugue, and the triptych Fantasy. They both were planning to write an opera Jūratė.

August – September 1908

The couple visited Sofija’s uncle Vincas Jarulaitis in Plungė, her parents in Kuliai and Karklėnai, and later went to Druskininkai. Here Čiurlionis painted Sonata No. 6 (Sonata of the Stars).

At the end of August, on the advice of the Vilnius-born artist Lev Antokolsky, Čiurlionis went to St Petersburg, hoping to find a more regular source of income and to take part in exhibitions. His first trip was not very successful.

October – December 1908

In the middle of October, Čiurlionis went to St Petersburg for the second time taking some of his paintings and planning to stay there longer. He visited the Society of Lithuanians and the artist Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, who introduced him to Russian artists. They immediately accepted him into their association. Čiurlionis again gives private lessons as a means of earning a living. Help came from Lithuanians living in St Petersburg: Alfonsas Moravskis, Juozas Tallat-Kelpša, Juozas Zikaras and Stasys Bytautas.

The Society of Lithuanians held weekly events, in which Čiurlionis played his compositions. Here the thought occurred to him to form a music department within the Society for Lithuanian Art, which would take care of Lithuanian composers and musicians, organise competitions and concerts, and found the music library. The Society’s executive board supported the idea. Čiurlionis did not forget the Vilniaus Kanklės choir either and kept sending his folk song arrangements for it.

Skylark, a collection of folk song arrangements by Čiurlionis, was published in Warsaw.

He was also writing music for the opera Jūratė, based on the libretto sent by Sofija, and painted sketches for the set and curtain.

At the end of December he went to join his fiancée.

1 (14) January 1909

In Šateikiai, a small town near Plungė, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis married Sofija Kymantaitė. After the wedding, they went to St Petersburg.

January – March 1909

Čiurlionis’ works were displayed at the Salon exhibition in St Petersburg and at the first spring exhibition of the Vilnius Society of Artists, three of his works were shown at the sixth exhibition of the Russian Association of Artists, among them Rex, which was painted in St Petersburg. He sent several of his paintings to the 13th exhibition of the Sztuka Society of Art Lovers in Krakow.

His piano works were performed at a concert in the series Evenings of Contemporary Music in St Petersburg on 28 January (10 February) 1909. In February, his works were performed at a concert held by the Salon exhibition, along with the compositions by Alexander Scriabin, Nikolai Medtner, Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Rachmaninov.

At the end of March, the couple returned to Lithuania.

April – June 1909

The couple lived in Druskininkai. They would go to Vilnius to take part in organisation of the Third Exhibition of Lithuanian Art. Čiurlionis designed its poster and the cover for the catalogue. He displayed more than 30 works at the exhibition including Sonata of the Serpent, Sonata of the Sea, Sonata of the Stars, Fairy Tale of the Kings, and the triptych Fantasy. His paintings were displayed at the exhibition to mark the fifth anniversary of the Warsaw School of Art. In June, he and Sofija painted the stage curtain for the Rūta Society’s hall, and he appeared as a pianist in concerts held by the Society.

July – October 1909

Čiurlionis and Sofija lived in Plungė. That summer he produced around 20 paintings including The Altar, Angels (Paradise), Lithuanian Graveyard, many sketches and vignettes for folk songs. Together with his wife, Čiurlionis wrote the book of critical essays In Lithuania. He designed its cover and several initials (which remained unused).

In a general meeting of the Lithuanian Society of Science Čiurlionis was elected the member of the committee for collecting and notating songs.

November – December 1909

With his paintings created earlier, he went to St Petersburg again. There he received a proposal to lead the Lithuanian Society’s choir in St Petersburg. Together with Kazimieras Būga, Augustinas Voldemaras, Česlovas Sasnauskas, Juozas Tallat-Kelpša he was compiling The Terminology of Our Music, the dictionary of Lithuanian musical terms.

Written by Nijolė Adomavičienė

Translated by Sonata Zubovienė

M. K. Čiurlionis in Vilnius

M. K. Čiurlionis in Vilnius

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