The pioneering patriotic Czech writer and poet Václav Kliment Klicpera died on 15/9/1859. The funeral took place on 18/9/1859 and was attended by many local dignitaries including, according to Dalibor 20/9/1859, Václav Hanka, Purkyně, Šafařík, leading churchmen of the city, writers, artists, professors of the University, journalists and many citizens of Prague. The periodical bitterly complained, drawing particular attention to the irony that a funeral ode quartet was sung at the occasion in the German language. No details of the work itself or of any other music performed during the ceremony was given by the source.

A detailed more detailed account of Klicpera’s funeral was published by Bohemia 19/9/1859. Concerning the musical content of the ceremony it was noted that unspecified ‘Leichengesänge’ were given in the Trauerhaus by the Estates Theatre opera singers Emminger, Fektér, Hertzsch, Hovemann and Steinecke. At the graveside a ‘beautiful Czech quartet’ [‘ein schönes böhmisches Quartett’] and an unspecified Salve regina were sung by Reichel, Strakatý, Neswadba [Nesvadba] and J.N. Maýr. Given the account by Dalibor the ‘böhmisches’ quartet almost certainly signified that the composition was by a Czech composer, not that it was sung in the Czech language.