• unspecified orchestra of Karel Komzák: participating orchestra, orch
• KOMZÁK, Karel: director of ensemble, conductor

Prager Zeitung 9/3/1860 was the first source to announce this event, relating that the twelve-year old pianist Eduard Gerstberger would give a concert on 24th March in the Žofín Hall before his departure from Prague. Half of the profit would be given towards the purchase of bells for the new church in Karlín, and the other half was destined for another [unspecified] good cause. Gerstberger it was noted, would perform both on the piano and on a ‘new Octave-Physharmonika’. On 23/3/1860 the newspaper remarked that ‘The already reported concert of the 12-year old Eduard Gerstberger will take place tomorrow at 4.30 in the Žofín Hall.’

Bohemia 9/3/1860 announced that ‘The twelve-year old pianist and physharmonica-player Eduard Gerstberger gives a concert on 24th of this month in the Žofín Hall.’ The source similarly noted that half the profits were destined for bells for the new Karlín church and the other half to an unspecified good cause. The Tageskalender in Bohemia 24/3/1860 listed this concert as ‘Benefit concert of the 12-year old pianist Gerstberger’ and recorded its time and the venue. No futher news or review of the concert appeared in the newspaper.

Prager Morgenpost did not publish news of this event on 9/3/1860 but reported the production in a more informative text in its issue of 22/3/1860. This noted the date, time and venue, and published the programme for this benefit concert, of which it noted as in the early Prager Zeitung text that half the profit would be given towards the purchase of new bells for the new church in Karlín, and the other half to ‘one other good cause’. The newspaper also reported that the 12-year old Eduard Gerstberger was performing in a concert for the second time at the piano, that he was soon to leave Prague, and that the programme would include a ‘new Octave-Physharmonika’. All of the works to be performed were then listed in detail and in performance order.

Der Tagesbote 22/3/1860 also announced this concert in a text differing in content from those of the other German-language daily newspapers. The periodical reported the date of the forthcoming performance by Gerstberger and noted that he was to play ‘two great Concerti, the third by Beethoven and the C major by Weber, as well as many salon pieces for the piano and for the physharmonica. Vocal works performed by the ladies Urban and Kügler complete the concert and Mr Komsak with his band provides the orchestra.’ A review, signed ‘-h.’, was published by this newspaper on 27/3/1860. This reported that ‘In the concert that the talented young pianist Gerstberger gave the day before yesterday in the Island Hall [actually on 24/3/1860], attended by a numerous and distinguished audience, there was the fatal misfortune of a quarter-tone difference [in tuning] between the solo instrument [piano] and the orchestra. Mr Komsak [Komzák] did not know how to solve this problem, so the most substantial works in the programme that would enable a judgement of the artistry of the young concert-giver, those that called for obbligato orchestra, had to be cut.’ Of the remainder of the programme the critic noted only that the choice of and execution of these lesser works did testify to the recitalist’s good taste and thoroughly learned skill. No mention was made of other participating individuals or the works that they played.

The Dalibor 1/4/1860 review was highly critical of this concert given by the 12 year old Eduard Gerstberger, noting that ‘The concert, or better said, school examination [. . . had such a] grievously ridiculous outcome, that we cannot recollect anything like it. Immediately after the performance of the overture, which Mr Komzák’s orchestra precisely performed, there came in the programme confusion after confusion, in which two songs were left out, and two pieces with orchestra could not be performed because the tuning of the piano was at variance with the tuning of the orchestra. What, did the arranger of the concert not have enough time to tune the piano before the concert? O sutor, ne ultra crepidam! The supposed recitalist E. Gerstberger played entirely inaccurately, appearing to be asleep, so that not even ordinary scales did he manage to play without reproach. Doehler’s Nocturne he played in the manner of a schoolboy, and the Rêverie with Mr Stamberg he played without tact, and it would have been better had the octaves to have been secure in the [Saltarella] of Dreyschock; he muddied the keyboard with the pedal and then in the mud began disagreeably to chase about. At this production everyone certainly thought: “Boy, better serve your time [apprenticeship] for some years; for you know very little!” We could not understand the insolence with which the arranger of the concert could present to the public something so immature; for we already warned him about this last year. On the violin Mr Stamberg performed a piece [Rêverie] by Vieuxtemps, and displayed great tone and pretty execution. Miss [Terezie] Ledererová very inaccurately sang two arias. Half of the clear profit from this concert is to go for new bells in the church in Karlín and the other half to another good cause which, however, [the arranger of the concert] failed to declare. It would perhaps be appropriate if this half was dedicated to benefit the Institute for Prague’s Poor.’

The two songs omitted from the programme were Mendelssohn’s ‘Auf des Flügeln des Gesanges’ op.36/2 and Kücken’s ‘Die stille Wasserrose’. The Prager Morgenpost 22/3/1860 report related that these were to have been sung by Miss Urban [Urbanová]. This listing of the programme specified that the concertante work by Weber to have been performed in the concert was ‘“Marcia et Rondo” Concertstück für das Pianoforte mit Orchestr-Begleitung’, thus suggesting the piece was Weber’s Koncertstück in F minor J282. However, the Tagesbote sources imply that the work was to have been an excerpt from the Concerto in C major. Including these two concertante compositions and two extra songs the programme of this event would have been unusually substantial, even by the standards of the period.

The fiasco of the piano tuning seems unusual given that the physharmonica too must have been out of tune by the same degree to have combined with the piano in particular works in the programme. Evidently the matter caused considerable disquiet. In an unprecedented step Komzák was to publish an open letter in Bohemia 11/4/1860 explaining the circumstances of the problem and defending himself and his 40-strong orchestra from the criticism of the various newspapers and in particular from Der Tagesbote.