Prague Concert Life, 1850-1881

Event title:

‘Musical and declamatory Academy’ in aid of the Prague Seminary Institute for the Blind

Venue: Žofín Island (Žofín Hall)

Event type: Art music culture

Date: 16/04/1859 12 noon

Season: Lent

Beneficiary: Seminary Institute for the Blind

Programme comprising:

General participants:
  • Estates Theatre orchestra: participating orchestra
  • TAUWITZ, Eduard: director of ensemble, conductor
BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van : Overture Die Weihe des Hauses, orch, C major, op.124
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY, Felix : unspecified tenor aria from oratorio Elias (Elijah), v, orch, op.70
     • Lukes, Jan Ludevít : v
ROSSINI, Gioachino Antonio : aria Di tanti palpiti from act 1 of opera Tancredi, v, orch
     • Schmidt-Procházková, Josefa : v
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY, Felix : Serenade and Allegro giocoso, pf, orch, B minor, op.43
     • Prokšová, Marie : pf
KAVÁN, František : nocturne La Consolation, pf, op.18
     • Kaván, František : pf
KAVÁN, František : 3 Mazurkas, pf, op.21
     • Kaván, František : pf
unspecified Czech folksongs, vv
     • Lukes, Jan Ludevít : v unspecified, ? : pf
CHERUBINI, Luigi : Overture to opera Medea, orch

Commentary:

The overture by Beethoven given in this concert was specified by the Dalibor review, signed ‘B.’, as ‘in C major’. That this work was the Overture to Die Weihe des Hauses, op.124, was previously noted in the Bohemia 15/4/1859 announcement of the event and programme. Originally an aria from Rossini’s La Cenerentola was to have been sung by Josefa Schmidt, but the Prager Zeitung 19/4/1859 review noted the substitution of the aria from Tancredi.

J.L. Lukes was noted by the Dalibor critic as having travelled from Brno in order to participate in this concert. The programme is reproduced in order corresponding with the Bohemia 15/4/1859 report, incorporating the substituted aria by Rossini. A declamation was also performed by A. Markwordt. According to the pre-concert Bohemia report this was a ‘Humoreske “Was Dich nicht brennt, das blase nicht!”’ written by Meyl. That the orchestra was that of the Estates Theatre was implicit in the Prager Zeitung 19/4/1859 review which noted that the orchestral pieces were directed by Tauwitz, who was then the second Kapellmeister of the Estates Theatre.


Summary of sources:

Prager Zeitung (08/04/1859)
Prager Morgenpost (08/04/1859)
Dalibor, hudební časopis s měsíční notovou přílohou (10/04/1859)
Bohemia (15/04/1859)
Bohemia (18/04/1859)
Prager Morgenpost (18/04/1859)
Prager Zeitung (19/04/1859)
Dalibor, hudební časopis s měsíční notovou přílohou (20/04/1859)