• Aëde: organizing institution, male vv

Prager Morgenpost 4/11/1862 published news about arrangements for the forthcoming festival to celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of Schiller (born 10 November 1759). The correspondent reported that since the hundred-year festival of ‘our great national poet’ his birthday has been celebrated through a festival. The celebrations would take place over several days. ‘The Reading Room of the German Students begin [the celebrations] on Saturday with a concert and a social meeting. On Sunday the [music society] „Arion“ give an Academy [Akademie] in the Hall of Žofín Island with the participation of the ladies Gebhardt, Kainz-Prause [Kainz-Prauseová] and [Mr] Hardtmuth. Monday the singing society „Aede“ [Aëde]. Tuesday will be perforned in the [German Estates] Theatre Die Braut von Messina. As we have heard, the Deutsche Casino and the German Gymnastic Society will also hold events during the festival period.

Bohemia 10/11/1862 served notice of the concert given by Aëde in its Tageskalender of that day, noting ‘7.30pm in the Konvikt Hall: Schiller Festival of „Aede“ Society.’

A review of the event given by Aede was published by Prager Morgenpost on 11/11/1862. The correspondent reported: ‘Schiller festival of the Singing Society „Aede“. This festival, through which the German Choral society „Aede“ honoured Schiller’s memory, was a feast in the most beautiful meaning of the word. The arrangements for the event were dominated by the unifying concept that through the individual works [of the programme] eloquent expression could be given of veneration for the great poet. Lack of space [here] does not permit us to go into detail about each individual item on the programme, so we have to content with briefly highlighting the more important ones. For an introduction to the festival Mr Fischer performed with his usual mastery a jaunty and apt prologue that had been written by the Society’s president Dr Franck. This was followed by a rendition from the male-voice choir of „Schiller’s Standbild“ by Anastasius Grün (composed by Karl Pohl). With the full force of his rich voice Mr Krén sang Schubert’s song after Schiller „Der Kampf“ and the song „Das Kreuz im Walde“ by Becker. An especially interesting item was the recital by Mr Sauer of a scene from „Karlsschülern“ (fourth scene of Act four). The ardent performance, that testified to a real understanding of the poet created a deep impression on the whole audience, with the performer being applauded to a great degree. Mrr Fischer also received equal applause when he performed the „Kraniche des Ibykus“ by Schiller. The pianist Miss Čermak [Čermaková], accompanied by Mr Řebiček on the violin, performed the great Fantasie on themes from the „Hugenotten“ by Thalberg and Beriot and gained rapturous applause for their virtuoso playing. Mr Řebiček also performed the Adagio and Rondo from the First [Violin] Concerto by Vieuxtemps. The choir of the society sang the „deutsche Lied“ by Marten and „Freiheit“ by C.M. Weber. Finally, Miss Zawiszanka is to be mentioned, singing a „Volkslied“ and „Frühlingslied“ by Mendelssohn. The audience was gathered so numerously that not only the hall but also the gallery were packed, with many people able to listen yet not to see. Among the guests were representatives of the German choral societies, of the German gymnastics club and of the German students’ fraternities. The decorations of the hall [Konvikt Hall] also carried a festive imprint. - A cheerful social gathering, which lasted until midnight, followed the actual festival [event].’

Bohemia 11/11/1862 published a review of this event, the correspondent - not the usual Bohemia critic signed ‘V.’ but carrying a signature with three stars marked in an inverted triangle. The critic remarked that ‘A worthy end was made to the Schiller Festival Celebrations by the concert that was arranged yesterday by the Music Society „Aëde“ in the Konvikt Hall. We spent only a brief time at this event yet we still noted with pleasure that despite the three-day duration of these festival celebrations the public attendance did not suffer. That all parts of the Hall were full proved that the great German poet has a very great number of admirers among people of all classes in our as hesitantly as it is innocently [so gern als rein] Czech-proclaimed city. The fairer sex were particularly well-represented; among the male audience was a not inconsiderable number of students in hats, ties and gowns... About the concert itself we can say, as we have already mentioned, only a little as concerns individual numbers. It goes without saying that the powerful performance by Mr Krén of the poem „Der Kampf“ by Schiller and of Becker’s Lied „Das Kreuz im Walde“, the scene between Schiller and Count Karl from the „Karlsschülern“ by Laube read by Mr Sauer very effectively and with particular passion in the closing words, and the men’s chorus „Das deutsche Lied“ by Marrden, were received with vociferous applause. Amongst other participants in the programme was also Miss Zawiszanka, who sang two Lieder by Mendellsohn-Bartholdy.’

No record of this event appeared in the Czech periodicals Národní listy, Dalibor or Lumír. Prager Zeitung 11/11/1862 reported in news dated the previous day that ‘This evening takes place in the Konvikt Hall the Schiller Festival of the Music Society Aëde.’ No further report or review of this event appeared in subsequent issues of that newspaper.

The programme is listed in the order in which the concert was described by the Prager Morgenpost reviewer. The composer ‘Marrden’ or ‘Marrden’ cannot be identified. This event, as noted by the Bohemia correspondent, the third major performance event of the Schiller festival demonstrated the extent to which the German poet was celebrated among the German sections of Prague artists and public. In this respect the participation of Czech performers (and in the case of Zawiszanka, Polish), demonstrated how appreciation of Schiller was not exclusively regarded as a Germanic-national statement. The obvious success of the Schiller anniversary celebrations perhaps inspired partisan Czech patriotic sections of Prague artistic life (through the Czech Umělecká beseda) to stage the Shakespeare festival in 1864, a pointed emphasis on a not German foreign writer and poet.