As part of the series of articles ‘Nynější stav hudby v Čechách vůbec a v Praze zvlášť’ [The present state of music in Bohemia in general and in Prague especially], Lumír 5/11/1857, p.1073 noted that the ‘Great civilian orchestra of K. Komzák, made up of 30 people... [is the principal orchestra in Prague concerned with entertaining the public]. It is actually three small orchestras, which when needs be unites into one great whole. The orchestra was founded [povstal] by Komzák in 1854 and is a general favourite.’

Komzák’s success in founding a salon orchestra and managing it as an ensemble and commercial enterprise was reflected in appearances of his musicians at all of the major Prague venues for popular social musical entertainments during the second half of the 1850s and into the 1860s. The ensemble was evidently of impressive versatility and accomplishment, the above Lumír source noting that ‘The large orchestra [i.e. the combined ensemble] performs symphonies, overtures, extracts from operas, musical trifles and dance pieces very deftly.’ This ‘large orchestra’ performed as a whole in more substantial and important events, but more usually divided into smaller ensembles. This possibly was necessitated by the capacity of a performance venue, but an indication of Komzák’s procedures was revealed by a notice published in Mercy’s Anzeiger 6/6/1857. This reported that ‘The First Shooters-Kapellmeister [referring to his official title as first Kapellmeister of the Sharpshooters Corps] Karl Komsak plays during the Summer Season 1857, in good weather at:

On Sundays and holidays with the great String Orchestra on the Žofín Island.

Monday in the great Orchestra on the Shooters Island.

Tuesday in the Salon Orchestra at the Hopfenstock and in Koppmann’s Garden.

Wednesday with the great Orchestra [and] with the military music ensemble of the Royal Infantry Regiment of the Archduke Ernst in the Canal Garden.

Thursday in the Salon Orchestra in Wocelka’s Garden-restaurant and in Koppmann’s Garden

Friday in the great Orchestra at the Hopfenstock.

Saturday in the great Orchestra in Koppmann’s Garden.

In inclement weather always in two Salon Orchestras, namely:

Monday at the Three Carps and in the Café at the Red Eagle.

Tuesday in Braithut’s Café and in Danzer’s Café.

Thursday in Wocelka’s Restaurant and in the Café at the Red Eagle.

Friday at the Hopfenstock and in the Café at the Red Eagle.

Saturday in Braithut’s Café and in the Café at the Red Eagle.

Specific music festivals will be individually announced.

During the winter months the orchestra was usually split into two. Interestingly, on 15/3/1857, these participated in a ‘Competition for honour and [a] prize’; the two ensembles being judged for the better performance of, among other works, Flotow’s Overture to Martha. Evidently these two ensembles comprised sufficient individual resources of strings and wind to each give the work. In the autumn of 1857 a third ensemble was formed from the larger orchestra, first being identified as ‘Komsak’s newly organized 3rd Salon Orchestra’ in Mercy’s Anzeiger 18/10/1857 in a performance to be given on that day.

Komzák’s group of musicians seem to have split not only into two or three ensembles when necessary, but also as a group of string players. During later 1857 events are noted in contemporary periodicals that refer to the appearance of Komzák’s String Orchestra or ‘great String Orchestra’. Whether the wind players appeared as an independent body is not recorded.

Unambiguous identification of which of these orchestras performed in Prague events is often not possible from source texts. References range from ‘Komzák’s great orchestra’, which most likely refers to the combined ensemble, to ‘the string orchestra of Komzák’ or to ‘Komzák’s first [or] second [or even] third orchestra’. The database records of events listing the participation of an ensemble by Komzák therefore fall into the following categories:

Unspecified orchestra of Komzák: any ensemble appearing with, for example, the ambiguous periodical reference ‘Komzák’s Orchestra’.

Unspecified salon orchestra of Komzák: most clearly identified by source(s) as ‘Komzák’s Salon Orchestra’. This may therefore refer to either one of the smaller ensembles or the combined orchestra.

Large orchestra of Komzák: most clearly identified by source(s) as, for example ‘great Salon Orchestra of Komzák’, implying that the orchestra comprised the combined ensembles of all his players.

String orchestra of Komzák: identified as such by periodical sources.

First Salon Orchestra: identified as such by periodical sources.

Second Salon Orchestra: identified as such by periodical sources.

Third Salon Orchestra: identified as such by periodical sources.

In 1862 Komzák’s larger ensemble formed the nucleus of the orchestra of the Czech Provisional Theatre orchestra. Performing in music theatre productions for all of the long theatre season, his bands then began to play a lesser rôle in the city’s musical life. A notice outlining the change to the rôle of Komzák’s orchestras due to their deployment in the Czech Provisional Theatre was published by Prager Morgenpost 21/1/1863. This related that in response to popular rumours that the entire orchestra was now contracted to be engaged to the Czech Provisional Theatre, on 3 evenings a greater proportion of the ensemble (comprising soloists) would play at the following venues: ‘Each Monday in the Guest house at the Platteis. Each Wednesday in the Guest house of Bilý. Each Friday in the Hotel de Saxe. In addition each Sunday and Friday afternoon concerts with the entire orchestra would take place in the Bohemia Restaurant. The notice was signed ‘Karl Komzák, Kapellmeister’

In 1865 the orchestra of the Czech Theatre became permanently established and Komzák’s musicians ceased their activities in Prague’s more social-musical venues when Komzák moved from the Czech capital.