Organ building in Lithuania in the 19th century

For Lithuania, the 19th century was marked by the symbol of the Russian Empire – Lithuania became a province of a foreign empire. Farming suffered a severe general downturn. As the Church’s powers began to be restricted, there was almost no opportunity for new significant instruments to emerge. The monasteries, which until then had been the initiators of the best organ building, were closed. Eastern Catholic (Unitarian) churches, which also had organs in Lithuania, became part of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the organs were ordered to be liquidated. The Catholic Church itself, unlike evangelicals, also had little regard for music and especially for organ matters. From the beginning of the 15th century, the development of Lithuanian organ culture was closely associated with Königsberg. Once the import customs were imposed, significant contacts which had taken place almost disappeared. The industrial revolution in Lithuania was delayed, and for half a century small artisan workshops still prevailed. Almost exclusively small, single-manual organs without pedals or positives were built. A large three-manual organ at Vilnius University St John’s Church was rather an exception. It was built by the Tiedemanns. This family, which originated in East Prussia, worked in the Baltic States throughout the first half of the 19th century. Only in the middle of the century did the new European organ building trend, the so-called organ romanticism, reach Lithuania. A particularly important role in this period was played by the experience of organ building of the neighbouring Curonia. Very few impressive examples were created, and in this respect Lithuania is hardly able to compete with the major countries of Central Europe. Lithuania is characterized by the fact that in the 19th century local masters and companies ( J. Rudavičius, M. Masalskis, F. Ostromensky), as well as masters from neighbouring Curonia (Herrmann, Weissenborn) and Poland (Blomberg) worked there. In western Lithuania, then part of Prussia, Terletzki was active. Meanwhile, large factories (Walcker, Rieger) reached Lithuania only in the first half of the twentieth century and only in a few instances. At that time, more work started to be focusing on the construction of two-manual with pedal instruments. At the end of the century, J. Rudavicius built some three-manual organs. His 63-stop organ built in 1896 for a long time was the largest in Lithuania. Although the 19th century Lithuanian organs are relatively modest compared to other countries, they have the value that is only growing in the context of present-day Europe, since the “progressive ideology” of more economically powerful European countries affected the art of organ building and few small romantic instruments are left.

Cell type-specific role of lamin-B1 and its inflammation-driven reduction in organ building and aging

SummaryCellular architectural proteins often participate in organ development and maintenance. Although functional decay of some of these proteins during aging is known, the cell-type specific developmental role and the cause and consequence of their subsequent decay remain to be established especially in mammals. By studying lamins, the nuclear structural proteins, we demonstrate that lamin-B1 functions specifically in the thymic epithelial cells (TECs) for proper thymus organogenesis. An upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines in the intra-thymic myeloid immune cells during aging accompanies a gradual reduction of adult TEC lamins-B1. These cytokines cause adult TEC senescence and lamin-B1 reduction. We identify 17 adult TEC subsets and show that TEC lamin-B1 maintains the composition of these TECs. Lamin-B1 supports the expression of TEC genes needed for maintaining adult thymic architecture and function. Thus, structural proteins involved in organ building and maintenance can undergo inflammation-driven decay which can in turn contribute to age-associated organ degeneration.

On organ building in Lithuania in the Baroque period: instrument and facade

In the beginning, the term “organ building” is clarified. One can find many sources which claim that the questions connected with the instrument and the organ case with the facade sometimes were solved separately. The majority of available sources say that this was the work of craftsmen of different specialties. Their relationships were rather strictly regulated by the system of workshop rules and privileges. Organ building in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was strongly connected with the neighbouring Prussia and Kurland. In the 18th century, the most important organ building centre of the lands on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea was Königsberg. The most influential masters worked there, and from there the most well-known organ builders of that time settled to work in Lithuania. In the 18th century’s Lithuania, the work of the Jesuits was very influential. A lot of young people became educated in the Vilnius Jesuit novitiate and academy. Craftsmanship was also taught there. At the Vilnius Jesuit novitiate there were many students of German origin who continued to work in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Prussia. The capenters trained in the novitiate of Vilnius later worked installing churches in the entire Grand Duchy. They also made organ cases. No names of Jesuit organ builders have survived. Transportation possibilities had a significant importance on the spreading of the pipe organ. Towns situated near water ways were at the convenient situation, they could acquire instruments from afar. There is no agreement about who was the author of organ facade – the organ builder or the carpenter with the carver who made the case. It seems likely that usual structures and templates prevailed and organ builders mainly created the instruments into the cases made by others. Small one-manual instruments were prevalent in Lithuania, their interiors as well as the specification were very similar to the organs of the same size in neighbouring countries. The Lithuanian style facade layout was usual in a wide area.