Trys Keturiose
Since 1981, the group Trys Keturiose has specialised in performing sutartinės, traditional Lithuanian polyphonic songs . These are distinguished by their numerous use of seconds, entwined voices, accentuated rhythmic patterns and the simultaneous sound of two different texts (verse and refrain). All these qualities demand a specific concord among the performers, the habit of singing together (the word sutartinė is derived form the verb sutarti, ‘to agree, to reach accord’).
Nowadays, the tradition of singing sutartinės in rural regions of Lithuania has died out; however, various folk groups in the cities keep up the tradition, including Trys Keturiose. The group continues to develop its own sound, and aims to give a contemporary meaning to old songs, collaborating with composers, electronic musicians and video artists, and presents interdisciplinary art projects. The leader of Trys Keturiose is Daiva Vyčinienė, an ethnomusicologist, professor, and head of the Department of Ethnic Music at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.