Juozas Gruodis (1884-1948) was one of the most eminent and original Lithuanian composers of the first half of the 20th century. His emergence into the musical life of the time was as a promoter of progressive artistic ideas and, as such, he was determined to raise the level of the budding Lithuanian professional music scene to European standards. Gruodis' musical career spanned almost five decades, from the years prior to the declaration of Lithuania's independence in 1918 to the beginning of the Second Soviet Occupation in 1944.