Prague Concert Life, 1850-1881

Event title:

Benefit concert in aid of free meals for poor Prague law students

Venue: Žofín Island (Žofín Hall)

Event type: Art music culture

Date: 27/03/1859 12 noon

Season: Lent

Beneficiary: Society for the Provision of free meals for Poor Law Students

Programme comprising:

General participants:
  • Estates Theatre orchestra: participating orchestra
KLEINWÄCHTER, Ludwig : Overture, orch, E major
SCHUBERT, Franz Peter : song Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118
     • Mellerová, Barbora : v
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY, Felix : song Schilflied no.4 of 6 songs, v, pf, op.71
     • Hardtmuth, ? : v
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY, Felix : song Reiselied no.6 of 6 songs, v, pf, op.34
     • Hardtmuth, ? : v
arr. Liszt, Franz: Polonaise brillante , pf, orch , Cat No:S367
     • Teinzmannová, Josefina : pf
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY, Felix : unspecified Presto, pf, F-sharp minor
     • Teinzmannová, Josefina : pf
PACHER, [G.] : Morceau de salon Grâce et coquètterie, pf, op.18
     • Teinzmannová, Josefina : pf
SPONTINI, Gasparo : aria of Amazily and Telasco from opera Fernand Cortez
     • Mellerová, Barbora : S Hardtmuth, ? : bar
PAGANINI, Nicolò : Rondo La clochette from Concerto for violin and orchestra, vl, orch, nr.2, B minor, op.7
     • Bennewitz, Antonín : vl

Commentary:

The Dalibor 1/4/1859 review (p.79) only listed the content of the programme, and noted that ‘we cannot give more detailed news about [this concert], except that as a curiosity we note that someone from the committee [organizing] this concert needlessly sent information to the newspapers about the musical activities of Kleinwächter. It is a really naïve memorandum: in Germany they know Kleinwächter [only] from the musical dictionary of Schilling, Gassner and Bernsdorf, [but] the Bohemians [know him] from his ingenious compositions.’

Ironically, concerning the actual programme of the concert the Dalibor 1/4/1859 text, doubtlessly unintentionally and accidentally, helped propagate inaccurate information concerning the identification of one of the works performed by Hardtmuth. The Czech source noted the performance of ‘Schilf- und Herbstlied’ by Mendelssohn. Similarly, the review published by the German newspaper Bohemia 28/3/1859 identified the second of the two Mendelssohn songs as ‘Herbstlied in E moll’. However, the song actually performed was not Herbstlied but Reiselied: “Der Herbstwind rüttelt die Baume”, op.34 no.6. This confusion may in part be explained by the subject of the review of this event that was published by Prager Zeitung 29/3/1859. The source drew attention to the fact that the programme issued for the concert, i.e. the concert bill, had incorrectly specified that the song to be given was Reiselied to a text by the poet [Karl] Egon Ebert, which was Mendelssohn’s op.19 no.4. An announcement in Prager Morgenpost 29/3/1859 also drew attention to this error, publishing news that Ebert himself confirmed that the Reiselied performed in the concert had not been written by himself. However, this does not wholly excuse both Dalibor and Bohemia for faultily identifying the work as Herbstlied, an epithet perhaps drawn from the first-line title of the op.34 no.6 song.

The programme is compiled in performance order based upon information collated from the specified reviews.


Summary of sources:

Dalibor, hudební časopis s měsíční notovou přílohou (20/03/1859)
Bohemia (28/03/1859)
Prager Morgenpost (28/03/1859)
Prager Zeitung (29/03/1859)
Prager Morgenpost (29/03/1859)
Prager Morgenpost (29/03/1859)
Dalibor, hudební časopis s měsíční notovou přílohou (01/04/1859)