Vytautas Kernagis (19 May 1951 – 15 March 2008) was a Lithuanian singer-songwriter ("

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

") actor, director, and television announcer. He is considered to be a pioneer of Lithuanian

sung poetry Sung poetry is a broad and imprecise music genre widespread in European countries, such as Poland and the Baltic States, especially Poland and Lithuania, to describe songs consisting of a poem (most often a ballad) and music written especially ...

Biography

Vytautas Kernagis was born to the family of actors and . In 1973 he graduated from the

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a state-supported College or university school of music, conservatory that trains students in music, theatre, and multimedia arts. History Composer Juozas Naujalis founded a ...

. In 1975 he enrolled in

correspondence courses Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

on stage directing at State Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1980. He was a member of the pioneering Lithuanian

big beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as the ...

bands ''Aisčiai'' (1966–1968) and ''Rupūs miltai'' (1969–1972). Kernagis recorded his first album of sung poetry in 1978. Kernagis also took part in the first Lithuanian

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

'' Devil's Bride'', first Lithuanian musical '' Fire Hunt with Beaters'' (1976), and first Lithuanian musical for a

puppet theatre Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...

''Šokantis ir dainuojantis mergaitės vieversėlis''. Kernagis hosted the 1st season (2007) of '' Žvaigždžių duetai'' TV show. Kernagis suffered from

gastric cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes ...

and died March 15, 2008. He was cremated and interred in the Antakalnis Cemetery in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Filmography

Acting

*'' :lt:Kai aš mažas buvau'' (When I was little) (1968) *'' :lt:Maža išpažintis'' (Little confession) (1971) *'' :lt:Atsiprašau '' (I'm sorry) (1982) *'' :lt:Kažkas atsitiko'' (Something happened) (1986) *'' Anastasija'' (Anastasia) (2006)

Singing

*'' :lt:Kam girnos muzika'' (1972) *'' Devil's Bride'' (1974), the first Soviet musical *'' Fire Hunt with Beaters''

Discography

* ''Akustinis'' (1978

LP album The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specificati ...

, 1994 CD ir MC, 2006, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) * ''Baltojo nieko dainelės'' (1979, Vilniaus plokštelių studija; 2000, „" Čiki Piki") * ''Vytautas Kernagis'' (1979 LP, Melodia C60-10889-90) * ''Kabaretas „Tarp girnų"'' (1982 small vinyl, 1984 LP, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) * ''Vytautas Kernagis Čikagoje'' (1985, Cassettes studija) * Dainos teatras: ** ''Žvilgsnis nuo kalno'' (1986, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) ** ''Eik savo keliu'' (1987, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) ** ''Povo link...'' (1989, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) ** ''Apie medžioklę'' (1990, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) * ''Keistumas'' (1991 m., "Lituanus") * ''Dainos teatras – Abėcėlė'' (1993, "Bomba") * ''Vaikai vanagai'' (1994, "Bomba") * ''Kabaretas „Tarp girnų“ 1979–1994'' (1994 m., "Bomba") * ''Baltas paukštis'' (1998, Vilniaus plokštelių studija) * ''Teisingos dainos'' (2003, "

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

") * ''Dainos teatras'' (2006) * ''Klasika'' (2007, 5 CD collection): ** ''Akustinis'' ** ''Baltojo nieko dainelės'' ** ''Dainos teatras'' ** ''Teisingos dainos''

Awards and remembrance

* 1995 – Antanas Šabaniauskas music award * 2000 – * 2002 – Officer's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas * 2007 – Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts, for the professionalism in modern creativity and artistry. A bench sculpture in Nida by . A sculpture to his song in Marijampolė. A sculpture bench with a guitar by Gediminas Avenue, Vilnius. In 2022 the documentary film ''Kernagis'' by director Andrius Lekavičius was released. The film is based, among other materials, on Kernagis's videotaping of his life himself for over 10 years.Kernagis 2021 Directed by Andrius Lekavičius
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References

External links

Vytautas Kernagis Fund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kernagis, Vytautas Burials at Antakalnis Cemetery 1951 births 2008 deaths Deaths from stomach cancer in Lithuania Officer's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Lithuanian male songwriters Lithuanian pop singers Lithuanian folk singers Lithuanian television presenters Musicians from Vilnius Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni 21st-century Lithuanian politicians 20th-century Lithuanian male writers 20th-century Lithuanian male singers 21st-century Lithuanian male writers 21st-century Lithuanian male singers