Lithuanian priest, organist, choir conductor, pedagogue, musicologist, composer.
After graduating from the German school in Bauska, he first studied organ with the organist of Pabiržės and the music school in Rokiškis, and then with the organist of the Kaunas Cathedral, J. Kalvaitis. Until 1896 he was organist in Pabiržė, Josvainiai and elsewhere. In 1896-1900 he studied at the Vilnius Theological Seminary. In 1905-1907 he studied in Germany, at the Higher School of Church Music in Regensburg. In 1928 he became a prelate.
1900-1905 he was a priest in the parish of Bialystok, leading the church choir. 1907-1917 professor and teacher of singing at the Vilnius Theological Seminary, first music teacher at the Lithuanian gymnasium, conductor of the Cathedral choir and orchestra. The choir of 120 members under his direction had a large and varied repertoire and was considered one of the strongest in Lithuania. Exiled from Vilnius, he lived in southern Lithuania - in Perlojas, Kietaviškės, Daugai and Merkinė. From 1921 to 1923, he taught music at the Merkinė Pro-Gymnasium, and later settled in Kaunas, where he was a professor at the Seminary from 1923. From 1924 he was an associate professor at the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy of the University of Lithuania, a lecturer in church music and music history, and a director of the University and the seminary and church choirs. He taught at J. Naujalis's organists' courses, edited the journal of the St. Cecilia Society "Muzikos echoai" (1926), and published articles in it. He also wrote in the publications "Muzikos barai", "Soter", and in the periodical press.
Harmonised about 150 Lithuanian folk songs, the most popular of which are "Tykiai tykiai Nemunėlis teka", "Aušt' aušrelė", "Vai tu, diemed', diemedėli", and the elaborated folk songs "Tu berželis", "Vai tu sakai' sakale", "Vai, gūdžiai barė", and others. He composed the cantatas "Salute to the Flag of Lithuania", "Te Deum laudamus" (in honour of the 500th anniversary of the Diocese of Samogitia), and many hymns. He wrote scientific musicological-folklore works, compiled a hymnal "Cantionale" - published in Belgium in 1932 with the efforts of priest A. Sabaliauskas.
