Prague Concert Life, 1850-1881

Veranstaltungstitel:

Annual practical music examinations of violinists in the higher classes of the Conservatory, and of vocalists of the Concert School and Opera School

Aufführungsort: unspecified

Programmsorte: Examinations and didactic events

Datum: 30/07/1859

Spielzeit: Summer

Following works performed by violinist pupils:

KREUTZER, Rodolphe : unspecified Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, E minor
     • Klima, František : vl
KREUTZER, Rodolphe : unspecified Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, D minor
     • Pleyer, M. : vl
KREUTZER, Rodolphe : Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.13, D major, op.A
     • Lužek, Antonín : vl
BÉRIOT, Charles Auguste de : Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.9, A minor, op.104
     • Engelbert, Engelbert : vl
KREUTZER, Rodolphe : Rondo from unspecified Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, D minor
     • Janneli, V. : vl
BÉRIOT, Charles Auguste de : Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.7, G major, op.76
     • Kožmín, František : vl
BÉRIOT, Charles Auguste de : Rondo from Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.3, E major, op.44
     • Bendiner, Adolf : vl
BÉRIOT, Charles Auguste de : Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.6, A major, op.70
     • Kunkl, Alfred : vl
ALARD, Delphin : Fantasie on motives from Donizetti opera La fille du régiment, vl, orch/pf, 28
     • Wien, Karl : vl
ALARD, Delphin : Rondo from unspecified Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch
     • Schönberg, Joseph : vl
BAZZINI, Antonio : Concerto for violin and orchestra Grand allegro de concert, vl, orch, nr.2, op.15
     • Wirth, Emanuel : vl
LÉONARD, Hubert : Fantaisie pastorale Les échos, vl, str orch [pf arr.?], op.22
     • Hřímalý, Jan : vl
ALARD, Delphin : Fantasie on motives from Bellini's opera Norma, vl, orch[/pf arr.], op.9
     • Hřímalý, Vojtěch : vl
VIEUXTEMPS, Henri : Adagio and Rondo from Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.1, E major, op.10
     • Řebíček, Josef : vl

Following works were performed by concert school pupils:

DONIZETTI, Gaetano : aria Einsam nach jener wilden Schlacht Nella fatal from act 1 of opera Lucrezia Borgia, v, orch
     • Tiefensee, Charlotte : v
DONIZETTI, Gaetano : Romanza Welche Ammut, welche Milde Com' è bello! from act 1 of opera Lucrezia Borgia, v, orch
     • Horinová, Aloisie : v
DONIZETTI, Gaetano : Recitative and cavatina Ach zu lange säumte ich Ah! tardai troppo, e al nostro favorito convego from act 1 of opera Linda di Chamounix, v, orch
     • Pöcklová, J. : v
BELLINI, Vincenzo : aria unspecified, from opera I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, v, orch
     • Riedlová, A. : v
GLUCK, Christoph Willibald, Ritter von : aria unspecified, from opera Iphigénie en Tauride, v, orch
     • Pisařovicová, Marie : v
MEYERBEER, Giacomo : Beggar's aria Donnez, donnez pour une pauvre âme from act 4 of opera Le prophète, v, orch [pf arr.]
     • Schwedrová, M. : v

Following works were performed by pupils of the opera school:

MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus : aria unspecified, from opera Don Giovanni, v, orch, K527
     • Blažková, Věkoslava Aloisie : v
DONIZETTI, Gaetano : aria Ach mein Fernando O mio Fernando from act 3 of opera La Favorita
     • Bubnová, Otilie : v
ROSSINI, Gioachino Antonio : aria Come dolce all' alma mia from act 1 of opera Tancredi
     • Klettnerová, Karolina : v

Kommentar:

The instrumental and vocal works are listed in order corresponding with the reports published by Dalibor 20/7/1859 and 10/8/1859. Concerning the performances of the violin students, the Dalibor 10/8/1859 review noted that ‘We heard mainly concertos of the elegant Belgian school, which the pupils performed with great precision and polish.’ The playing of the first six named students was thought by the Dalibor critic to have been ‘formal’; the remaining students played with ‘more inner feeling.’ The report continued: ‘It was interesting to observe with what care the students had studied their parts, everywhere manifest in thoughtful playing, sure bowing, rounded performance of difficult passages, great technical ability, and young strength united with feeling; in one pupil [Jan Hřímalý] these characteristics appeared in uncommon measure. He played with such fervour, with such dizzy daring, with such consciousness and with such astonishing ability and precision, that to him belongs the palm [i.e. the prize] of these examinations.’

After listing the performances by vocalists of the Concert and Opera Schools, the Dalibor 20/7/1859 report launched a diatribe against the policies of the Conservatory’s resident teacher of singing, Giovanni Gordigiani. ‘From this programme is seen, that the teacher of singing, sign. Gordigiani carries the greatest regard for Italian opera. This is hardly surprising, for he is from an Italian family. However, this Italian incarnate has to bear in mind that he lives in Bohemia and not at all in Italy. Why don’t we have operas of Füchs, Gläser, Kittl, Škroup or Abert? Don’t pretty arias exist in the operas of these composers?’ The subsequent review by Dalibor 10/8/1859, while appreciative of the high standard of vocal technique displayed by the students, was critical of the poor quality of German declamation, and the general immaturity of voice of the pupils of the Concert School. The best students were considered to have been the soprano Miss Věkoslava Aloisie Blažková, and the alto Miss Otilie Bubnová. The review concluded with a comment about the teaching of harmony in the Conservatory. ‘As concerns harmony, which the director Mr Kittl lectures, it is not possible in the pupils to observe great progress and it seems to us, that this is the Achilles heel of the local Conservatory.’

The venue of these performances was unspecified by the listed sources. None of the three seperate performance examination events of the Conservatory were listed in a Tageskalender published in the daily German newspaper Bohemia.


Zusammenfassung der Quellen:

Dalibor, hudební časopis s měsíční notovou přílohou (20/07/1859)
Dalibor, hudební časopis s měsíční notovou přílohou (10/08/1859)