• Music Institute of Josef Proksch: participating institution

Tagesbote aus Böhmen 4/03/1854 reported that Proksch [Prokš] would this year again be giving a cycle of musical productions presented as ‘three Matinées’ and ‘three Soirées’. Performed would be ‘Trios, Quartets and Quintets for piano in company with string instruments and played by Messrs Professors Goltermann, Pisařowitz, Pepperl and Bartak [probably the violinist and teacher Čeněk Barták]. The Matinées Musicales take place on 5th, 19th March and 2nd April at 4.30pm (they had earlier been announced for 12 noon, but this was problematic for the participants). The Soirées take place on 12th, 26th March and 8th April at 6pm at the Institute.’ Tagesbote subsequently published news only of the final Matinée in these series.

Mercy’s Anzeiger 7/4/1854 contained a notice that ‘The third Soirée musical in the Music Institute of Joseph Proksch takes place on 8th April at 4.30pm.’ No further details of the event were given by the source. The notice was published again by the newspaper on 8/4/1854. The times published by these two advertisements were probably incorrect, confusing the soirées and matinées being given in this series. The matinées being given by Prokš’s Institute during this season took place at 4.30pm, and the soirées at 6pm.

Tagesbote aus Böhmen 13/4/1854 published a notice appearing as a boxed section of text with an insert number – typical of published advertisements and inserts – describing this last ‘Soirée musicale’. The text reported that the event was attended by a ‘numerous and refined public who were satisfied to the highest degree ... [and that the] piano pieces were played with customary precision.’ Attention was drawn too to the participation ‘of a pupil of the here so favourably known Singing School of Mr and Mrs Czabon [Čaboun] ... Miss Huberti is of very beautiful, imposing appearance and is in possession of a powerful, steely [metallvollen] alto voice, which in a large room makes a particular impression.’ In the narrow confines of this venue she was also judged to be effective, impressing in the Cantabile of the [unspecified] aria of Romeo and in the following Allegro (Romeo’s revenge aria), with her ‘energy and beauty of tone across the range of 2 octaves from the G below middle C to over the top line [of the treble stave]’. She sang two further numbers, the Romanza of Pierotto from Linda di Chamounix and the song Die schönsten Augen by Stigelli ‘to universal pleasure and was rewarded with plentiful applause and [curtain-]calls. That, as is reported, Miss Huberti is turning to the Opera, we can from the fact of her dilligent study and such a rare voice rightfully prophesy a great future.’ The basic subject of this text being focussed on this singer perhaps suggests the notice was posted by a supporter of the young artiste, by the Institute of Czabon [Čaboun], or perhaps by the Estates Theatre opera to where the source implies that she was to be engaged.

The ‘Cantabile and... Allegro (Romeo’s revenge aria)’ was possibly from Bellini’s I Capuletti e i Montecchi.