Lithuanian musicology archive of Juozas Žilevičius

Juozas Žilevičius (1891–1985) – žymus lietuvių muzikas, 1929 m. emigravęs į JAV. Vienas svarbiausių jo nuopelnų yra unikalaus lietuvių muzikologijos archyvo, šiuo metu esančio Čikagoje (JAV), įsteigimas. Iki 1960 m. archyvas egzistavo kaip privati kolekcija, nesaugoma jokių teisinių aktų. J. Žilevičius nuolat plėtė archyvo fondus. Gyvendamas JAV patikimą prieglobstį archyvui jis surado jėzuitų pastogėje Čikagoje. 1960 m. sudaryta sutartis su jėzuitais, kuri įpareigojo Lietuvos konsulą Čikagoje vykdyti jo valią – būtent, kad archyvas bus perduotas nepriklausomai Lietuvai. Kad neiškiltų jokių teisinių kolizijų su JAV veikiančiais įstatymais, 1976 m. jis buvo įregistruotas kaip ne pelno siekianti organizacija, atleista nuo mokesčių. [...] Archyvui nuolat trūko lėšų ir profesionalių darbuotojų. 1979 m. dėl sveikatos J. Žilevičius turėjo palikti Čikagą ir persikelti į Baltimore. Nuo to laiko archyvu rūpinosi jo arba lietuviškų organizacijų įgalioti asmenys, ypač J. Kreivėnas. Jis 1984 m. savo biblioteką perdavė Lituanistikos tyrimo ir studijų centrui (LTSC). Jo įkalbėtas J. Žilevičius sutiko savo archyvą sujungti su J. Kreivėno biblioteka, kad būtų išsaugoti muzikologiniai fondai. J. Žilevičiui mirus, 1986 m. archyvas buvo išregistruotas kaip savarankiška institucija ir jo tarybos oficialiai perduotas LTSC. J.Žilevičiaus muzikologijos archyvas tapo Juozo Žilevičiaus – Juozo Kreivėno lietuviškos muzikos archyvu, kuriuo LTSC disponuoja iki šiol. Straipsnyje aptariami J. Žilevičiaus archyvo prieinamumo ir saugumo klausimai, jo testamentinės valios problema. Ją turėtų spręsti JAV lietuvių išeivijos ir Lietuvos visuomeninės bei valstybinės organizacijosBeing unable to manage the archive alone, Žilevičius invited assistants to help. However, they along with the established executive committee and council were able to help only a little. The archive often lacked funds and professional workers. In 1979 due to health problems Žilevičius had to leave Chicago and settle in Baltimore. From that time the archive was cared for by persons delegated by him or by Lithuanian organizations. Juozas Kreivėnas, who in 1984 bequeathed his library to the Lituanistikos tyrimo ir studijų centras (LTSC), showed very great concern for the future of the Žilevičius archive. Kreivėnas convinced Žilevičius to unite his archive with the Kreivėnas library. After the death of Žilevičius in 1986 the archive was registered as an independent institution and handed over to the LTSC by its council. The new sponsor immediately changed its name. The former independent J.Žilevičius musicology archive became the Juozas Žilevičius-Juozas Kreivėnas Lithuanian musicology archive, which the LTSC still administrates. Today questions about the access to and the security of the Žilevičius archive arise. In this context the desire of its creator, expressed in his testament, which in one way or another should be satisfied for both moral and practical reasons, becomes relevant. Lithuanian emigre organizations in the U.S. along with social and state organizations of Lithuania should resolve this problem by creating conditions for copying the funds of the archive and placing them in an Internet host Juozas Žilevičius (1891–1985) was a noted Lithuanian musician who immigrated to the United States in 1929. One of his most important contributions was the establishment of the unique Lithuanian musicology archive, currently housed in Chicago. It is one of the largest Lithuanian musicology collections in the world. This archive existed as a private collection not protected by any legal acts until 1960. Part of its exponents was destroyed during the First and Second World Wars. Living in the U.S.A., Žilevičius expanded the funds of the archive which became ever more difficult to manage due to the great number of exponents. Having become incapacitated, Žilevičius began to search for a safe haven for the archive, which he found in 1960 in the care of the Jesuit Fathers in Chicago. Žilevičius understood that only professional specialists in the field would be able to supervise the archive, and maintained the hope to transfer it to an independent Lithuania. In this regard in 1960 he made an agreement with the Jesuit Fathers and authorized Lithuania's consulate in Chicago to fulfill his wishes. As the chances of Lithuania's independence remained unlikely, the archive was forced to remain in Chicago. In order to avoid any legal problems with laws applicable in the U.S., the archive was registered in 1976 as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Fearing that the musicology funds might be passed on to American organizations, Žilevičius in 1977 wrote a will in which he again clearly expressed his will – the archive must be transferred to an independent Lithuania the restitution of which at that time few believed likel