D. Milius “Intermediality in Lithuanian film music: peculiarities of genre formation and development” doctoral dissertation defence

Author, Institution: Domantas Milius, Kaunas University of Technology

Science area, field of science: Humanities, History and Theory of Arts, H003

Research Supervisor: Doc. Dr. Darius Kučinskas (Kaunas University of Technology, Humanities, History and Theory of Arts, H003)

Dissertation Defence Board of History and Theory of Arts Science Field:
Prof. Dr. Saulius Keturakis (Kaunas University of Technology, Humanities, Philosophy, H001) – chairperson
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Indrė Gražulevičiūtė-Vileniškė (Kaunas University of Technology, Humanities, History and Theory of Arts, H003)
Prof. Dr. Šarūnas Paunksnis (Kaunas University of Technology, Humanities, Philosophy, H001)
Prof. Dr. Raimonda Simanaitienė (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, History and Theory of Arts, H003)
Prof. Dr. Edward Venn (University of Leeds, United Kingdom, Humanities, History and Theory of Arts, H003)

Dissertation defence meeting will be at Rectorate Hall of Kaunas University of Technology (K. Donelaičio 73-402, Kaunas)

The doctoral dissertation is available at the library of Kaunas University of Technology (Gedimino 50, Kaunas) and on the internet: D. Milius el. dissertation (PDF)

Annotation: Lithuanian film music is a significant yet, from a musicological perspective, still underexplored element of cultural identity and artistic expression, revealing the uniqueness of national cinema. The study focuses on music specifically composed by Balys Dvarionas and Eduardas Balsys for the earliest Lithuanian films – Marytė (1947), Before It’s Too Late (1957), The Blue Horizon (1957), and Adam Wants to Be Human (1959). The research findings reveal that Lithuanian film music is not merely an expression of emotion – it conveys semantic information and establishes intercultural communicative connections. The applied musicological and intermedial analysis method demonstrates that the interaction of leitmotif systems with film dramaturgy through musical means of expression creates a unique national film music genre. The study lays a solid foundation for future research on Lithuanian film music and expands the field of musicology and cinematography studies.