Juozas Pakalnis' life lasted only 35 years, but Lithuanian music history has preserved his name as a conductor, performer, teacher and most importantly, a composer, author of the ballet "The Bride". Juozas Pakalnis' musical legacy includes several solo and choral songs, chamber and symphonic compositions, an unfinished opera and his most significant work - a ballet. His musical language is close to late Romanticism and his compositions are characterized by colorful instrumentation, melodiousness, lyrical melodies often reminiscent of Lithuanian folk intonations, and expressive rhythm.
Juozas Pakalnis quickly gained authority in Lithuania as a talented musician. Although he spent a lot of his time working in the orchestra, conservatory and concerts, Juozas Pakalnis continued to create music intensively until his death. His interpretive and pedagogical activities helped musicians mature and improve, and his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory ultimately matured him as a composer.
Juozas Pakalnis was born on August 4, 1912, in the village of Veselkiškiai in Pakruojis district. After studying in the flute class at Klaipėda Music School under Czech teachers Albert Bursik and Franz Bening, he graduated from Stasio Šimkus Music School in Klaipėda and went to Kaunas. From 1931 he taught flute at Kaunas Music School and from 1933 at Kaunas Conservatory, where he also worked as a concert performer for a while. Professor Juozas Gruodis taught him composition. Juozas Pakalnis debuted as a conductor on Kaunas Radio in 1935 and became the conductor of the State Theater Symphony Orchestra in 1936. Taking up composition, he felt a lack of theoretical knowledge, so in 1938 he enrolled in Leipzig Conservatory, but he returned to Lithuania after a year due to the political situation in Germany.
From 1940, Juozas Pakalnis worked as a ballet conductor at the State Theater. At the same time, he was also the conductor of Kaunas Musical Comedy Theater founded in 1941. In 1945, Kaunas State Conservatory invited J. Pakalnis to lead the student symphony orchestra, and in 1947 he was appointed docent. However, on January 28, 1948, he died in unclear circumstances in Vilnius.
Juozas Pakalnis' remains were buried in Šančiai Cemetery in Kaunas, but in 1970 they were transferred to the Petrašiūnai Pantheon, where a monument was erected in 1973 (designed by architect M. Lagunavičienė). A memorial museum has been established in his hometown and a music school has been named after him. Since 1992, the republican competition of young performers named after Juozas Pakalnis has been held. Vaclovas Juodpusis wrote a book "Juozas Pakalnis" (Vilnius, 1972). In 1969, a memorial plaque was attached in Žaliakalnis (Žemaičių str. 88), and in 2001, a new memorial plaque with a bas-relief was unveiled (sculptor Stasys Žirgulis).
