• ensemble of the Royal Infantry Regiment of Baron Wernhardt: participating orchestra
• JEŠKO, Ludevít: director of ensemble

News appeared in Prager Morgenpost 9/12/1858 (and was repeated in the following day’s issue), of the performance of the performance at the Sophiensaal [Žofín Hall] on 12 December of winning prize compositions submitted to a competition sponsored by the Prague publisher Hoffmann. Winning compositions were listed as the following:

J. Haag: Waltz Brennende Liebe

K. Komzák: Quadrille Sirenen-Quadrille

J. Goltz: Galop Schnellfegler-Galopp

G. Kalser: Polka Illusions-Polka

W.A. Lucker: Polka tremblante Sperl-Polka

A. Kunze: Polka mazur Lamercantil

W.A. Lucker: unsp. dance Prager Esmerelda

However, the above list of compositions bears almost no resemblance to the works listed by later newspaper reports in connection with this event. Interestingly, even though a similarity exists between this first Morgenpost list and later versions in that they similarly include a composer by the name of ‘Kalser’, this individual is in the earlier Morgenpost source given the initial ‘G.’ whereas in later sources he becomes ‘Ed. Kalser’. On account of these discrepancies the programme given for this event record is drawn from the later sources.

   Bohemia 10/12/1858 reported that the ‘best’ and ‘next best’ works entered into a competition for new dance compositions, which had been sponsored by the music publisher Hoffmann, were to be performed in an entertainment that was to take place on Sunday at 4pm in the Sophiensaal [Žofín Hall]. The event was to be led by the Kapellmeister Jeschko [Ludevít Ješko]. An advertisement for the occasion then appeared in Bohemia on 11/12/1858. This noted the participating musical ensemble, ‘Musik des k.k. Linien-Infanterie-Regiments Baron Wernhardt unter persönlicher Leitung des Hrn. Capellmeisters Ludwig Jeschko [Ludevít Ješko].’ Admission to the event would cost 12 kr per head at the door and 10 kr by advance ticket. The dances, the advertisement noted, were to be published in an elegantly produced album. The same advertisement also appeared in Prager Morgenpost 11/12/1858. In Bohemia 12/12/1858 the day’s Tageskalender noted the venue, title and ensemble participating in this event. However, the time of the even was announced as 4.30pm and not 4pm as stated in the newspaper advertisements of previous days.

   Bohemia 15/12/1858 published a list of the winning compositions for Hoffmann’s competition, and this has been utilized to form the basis of the programme list reproduced herein. Lumír 16/12/1858 also announced the authors of the winning compositions in order of their prizes, the first prize being awarded to Müller and the sixth prize to Petrák, but unlike the German source did not note the names of the individual works. Six of the dances, the compositions by Müller, Fischer, Montbron, Syrový, Hingst and Petrák were later listed in an advertisment for a dance album published by Hoffmann that was advertised in Prager Morgenpost 6/1/1859. Details of those works that were not specified by earlier sources, such as the precise title of the Polka by Petrák, have been assimilated into the programme details reproduced in the event record.

   During a report covering a later dance entertainment, Prager Morgenpost 21/12/1858 noted that this dance-competition production on 12/12/1858 had gained a very numerous audience, and that Wernhardt’s ensemble had played with ‘customary precision’.