• Music Institute of Josef Jiránek: participating institution

Advance news of a series of six evening musical entertainments [musikalische Abendunterhaltungen] taking place in the Music Insitute of Jiránek was published by Bohemia 10/2/1850. This report related the dates of the six events as 17th, 24th February, 3rd, 10th, 17th and 23rd March, all at 5pm. A subscription card for entry to all six entertainments cost 2 fl. Entry to a single event was 30kr.

Details of the third of these entertainments were listed in the Tagesanzeiger texts of Bohemia 1/3/1850 and 3/3/1850. The specific Tagesanzeiger records of each of these six events confirm the dates and time given by the earlier 10/2/1850 report, but describe the venue as ‘im Plateyßsaale’. Jiránek’s music school was actually located in the Platýz building, on the second floor, and performances in this series would probably have taken place in the public hall below - often used as a concert hall - rather than in the rooms of the Institute itself.

Bohemia 8/3/1850 published a brief article titled ‘Musikalische Sonntagsabendunterhaltungen’ which began by noting how the ‘streetcorners were littered with invitations and announcements of great concerts, musical Matinées and Soirées for various arts.’ Typical of the musical events of the Lenten season were those of the ‘numerous’ music institutes. Those of the institutes of Jiránek and Proksch in their respective localities were noted to have both assembled ‘very numerous audiences.’ Of the remainder of this text, almost all specifically concerned Jiránek’s establishment in the Platýz. The methods and characteristics of teaching there were outlined. Essentially, instruction was ‘high quality, strictly well-ordered’; there was cultivated ‘absolute precision in ensemble playing, [and] a solid grounding in technique developed from the higher demands of the performance of solo pieces, [which is] made possible by strong discipline in mechanical training’. The institute taught according to ‘artistic and pedagogic-scientific’ principles, and was identified as ‘a good nursery for pianists and well-educated musicians [eine gute Pflanzschule für künstige Pianisten und wohlunterrichtete Musiker].’ The effectiveness of this combination was proved by the accomplishments of the great number of students of the institute, who, it was also noted, were both male and female. Finally, the text reported that more specific details of the entertainments arranged by both Proksch and Jiránek’s schools would be published when the series was complete. However, a particular attraction of the events of the latter was noted to be the ‘interesting’ recital of songs given there by Mrs Botschon [Botschon-Soukupová]. No details were given as to the specific entertainments in which this occurred.