Early information that a series of chamber music soirées was to be performed in 1850 appeared in Bohemia 31/1/1850. This brief report commented that last year’s soirées by Němec, Köckert, Träg, Král and Smetana remained happily in the memory of all music friends, and that the new series being organized promises programmes of the utmost interest. Among the works to be performed would be a new string quartet by ‘our magnificent Alexander Dreyschock’.

Bohemia 24/2/1850 published news that the second ‘Quartett-Soirée’ would take place tomorrow and would include for the first time a string quartet by Alexander Dreyschock. The programme was also to contain Mendelssohn’s D minor Piano Trio and an unspecified String Quintet in A minor by Onslow.

A review of this concert appeared in Bohemia 28/2/1850, signed ‘V.’. This began by noting that the first number of the programme, Dreyschock’s Quartet for 2 violins, viola and ’cello, was of two-fold interest for both being the work of a native composer and the first composition by the great virtuoso in the field of chamber music. After stating his success as a pianist and writer of piano music, the text emphatically pronounced upon the extreme difficulty and challenge of producing successful chamber music. ‘All, or anyway most, of the demands [of the medium] we find in Dreyschock fulfilled, and his first work in this awkward and comparatively ungrateful genre demonstrates the thorough study [of the medium] that the author has made.’ Concerning the quartet itself, the text then drew attention to the ‘enormous difficulty for the performers, particularly for the first violin part [in the first movement]. Of more poetical working is the Andante; the Scherzo is full of life. For the finale, where we are somewhat reminded of the fairy-like form and expression of Mendelssohn’s scherzos, a different movement is necessary ’. After noting that these were all purely first impressions, the critc reported that ‘the performance of this interesting composition was very good, only it was a pity that the voices were not altogether in tune, particularly in the first movement.’ Of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio, this ‘magnificent’ work was considered to represent a brilliant refutation of blinkered criticisms of the composer, the essence of which were related by the correspondent, that had been made by the critic Fétis. The performance suffered only in the lack of accuracy in the unison of the final six bars; much praise was given to Smetana for the ease with which he coped with ‘very great’ difficulties for the pianist. Finally, the review noted of Onslow’s Quintet in A minor that this ‘masterfully detailed and beautifully rich composition of the partly forgotten, partly shunned composer [Onslow] was very well performed. His Majesty King Ferdinand the Good [Kaiser Ferdinand der Gütige] honoured the very splendid and numerously attended soirée with his presence, and remained until the close.’

The Quintet by Onslow cannot be identified. Two quintets for strings in A minor were composed by Onslow, opus 34 and opus 58. The former was scored for double-bass, the latter for two violoncellos. Both works were also published with alternative parts for the fifth player. In this performance the instrument played by the extra player Tietz was unspecified.