• Orchestra of the Prague Sokol Gymnastic Society: participating orchestra
• SAKAŘ, František: director of ensemble, conductor

Prager Zeitung 5/10/1862 published advance news, dated 4/10/1862, that ‘The musical band of the Gymnastic Society „Sokol“ have arranged tomorrow evening in the Žofín Hall their first musical production.’ No further details were given by this source and no subsequent review of the occasion appeared in Prager Zeitung. This event was not reported upon or reviewed by the newspaper Prager Morgenpost.

This was the first public performance to be given by the recently formed orchestra of the Prague Gymnastic Society, Sokol. News of the establishment of the Sokol orchestra was published by Národní listy 22/9/1862, in a brief report which noted that ‘New evidence of the always increasingly flourishing success of the Prague Gymnastic Society is the foundation of its own musical band, which has just been arranged... Rehearsals have already begun, and as soon as possible a public entertainment will be organized.’ The occasion was, according to the subsequent Národní listy 6/10/1862 review, a success. This report noted that the Sokol musicians ‘played with genuine enthusiasm. The Žofín Hall was filled with guests. The band’s director, Mr Sakař, testified to being an excellent director and a skilful composer. The programme was, as it were, cosmopolitan, they played compositions from almost all nations, Czech, Polish, Russian, German, Hungarian etc, and all were received with great applause.’ The works that were noted to have been appreciated most by the audience were the quadrille České zvuky [Czech sounds] and the march Naprej! [Forward!]. The latter was possibly an arrangement of a male-voice chorus of the same title by the Slovenian composer Davorin Jenko which had already been performed with some success earlier in the year, or else was a Třasák of that name by Ladislav Labler-Daskovský. Admission to the concert cost 20kr. The programme is reproduced in concert order according to the Národní listy 5/10/1862 report.

An unsigned review of this event was published by Bohemia 6/10/1862. The correspondent reported that ‘(The newly-founded Sokol Band) gave before the public for the first time yesterday evening a concert in the Žofín Island Hall. Since the substantial Hall was abundantly furnished with guest-tables long before the appointed hour the concert was to begin, so they [the guests] made their entrance earlier. By then the public had grown so large that the extensive room was cramped not only downstairs but upstairs too. Their numbers amounted to more than 1500. Besides Sokol members the audience comprised students, townsmen [Bürgern], clerks [Beamten] etc... also individual officers and soldiers were to be noted. That the Czech party was predominant is self-evident, though there was also a numerous German contingent. The Sokol [members] appeared part in their national costume [Tracht], part in dress-shirts [Čamaren]; red Sokol shirts were nowhere to be seen. The fairer sex were less numerously represented. The band included 32 men, making up a so-called brass ensemble [Blechharmonie]. These wore the same national costume as the Sokol members. Considering that they had only just be founded the production was very courageous. First performed was an individual concert piece, namely the Overture to „Nabucodonosor“ [Nabucco] by Verdi, if necessary we can count the Potpourri „České zwuky“ [České zvuky - Czech sounds] by Komsak [Komzák] as a concert piece. The following pieces were: a Polonaise, a Mazurka, a Polka mazurka, two Polkas, two Czrdas, three Quadrilles, a Galopp and three Marches. That the applause was as extraordinary as the attendance speaks for itself. Straight after the Overture the band was hailed with vociferous of applause and shouts of „Vyborně“ [Výborně - excellent] and „Na zdar“ [Hail]. The applause grew more and more vehement with each of the following pieces. The oppressive stuffiness, the jostling and the smokey fug incidentally made the intervals uncomfortable.’

A brief, unsigned review of this event was published by Lumír 9/10/1862. This reported that the ‘Gymnastic society Prague „Sokol“ has, as is known, its own musical ensemble whose kapelník [Kapellmeister] is Mr Sakař. On Sunday this ensemble appeared in public for the first time, giving its first concert on Žofín. They performed musical compositions by Czechs, Russians, Hungarians, Germans etc and they were so excellently performed that the audience, very numerously assembled, got carried away in their vociferous applause.’

This audience of this event was almost certainly by invitation, hence the reference of the source reports to ‘guests’. A first public concert was given by the musical ensemble of Sokol on 14/12/1862. On that later occasion the band was specifically described as a string ensemble.