Professional repertoire of "kanklės" and its impact on the development of playing on the "kanklės"

Lithuanian kanklės is one of the oldest and the most mystical Lithuanian folk music instruments. The development of kanklės and playing on the kanklės lasted for many decades. In the beginning of the 20th Century kanklės were actively improved until they became a modified instrument. There appeared a possibility to improve the playing techniques of the players. During several past decades kanklės have reached a rather high level. This unique, original and technically able to perform rather complex music instrument, today may be called as concert kanklės. They presently distinguish themselves with nice timbre, wide sound obtaining scale and great variety of repertoire. There are also used non-traditional ways of playing on the kanklės that are proposed by the composers. They are: glissando on the strings, tremolo, touching the strings without bridge, knocking on the deck, and it helps the performers to get different original effects that greatly enrich the timbre obtaining scale of the kanklės as well as the music creation performed by the kanklės. Composer Vaclovas Paketūras was the first initiator of modern music of kanklės. Other Lithuanian composers have also added to the further development of playing on the kanklės. The players on the kanklės more and more often appear on the grand stage participate in different festivals, concerts achieving universal recognition. All those events we see as an important motive power of the music of kanklės and one of the main expression possibilities of modern music of kanklės. Playing on the kanklės as a genre of folk instrumental music has splendidly consolidated into present musical creation