• MÖSNER, Marie: soloist, hrp

Prager Morgenpost 1/1/1861 published a brief article on Mösnerová. The source reported that ‘The extraordinary harp virtuoso Miss Marie Mösner from Salzburg, who has spent a two-month sojourn at the house of Mr Lad. Rieger [the politician F.L. Rieger] and has studied composition with the eminent contrapunctist Mr Krejčí, intends to give concerts in our city and in Dresden.’ Brief biographical details of the artiste were then given, including a substantial quote from the Times about her playing in a concert that she gave in London. On 7/1/1861 the newspaper announced that ‘Today, Monday 7th January, the celebrated harp virtuoso Miss Marie Mösner is arranging a concert in Prague prior to her departure for Dresden, Leipzig and Weimar, in which a work composed by her that is new here - a Fantasie on themes from Meyerbeer’s “Robert” - will be performed, along with other brilliant compositions.’ This source reminded the reader that a biographical sketch had been published by the newspaper on 1/1/1861.

Specific news of this concert was published by the Czech-language newspaper Národní listy on 4/1/1861, in a brief report which also carried basic biographical details about Marie Mösner and echoed those published several days earlier by Prager Morgenpost 1/1/1861.

An enthusiastic review, signed ‘**’, was published by Prager Morgenpost 10/1/1861. This related that ‘The genial artiste gathered the other day in the Konvikt Hall a numerous and refined audience, who were really enthusiastic about her brilliant achievements. It was noteworthy that Miss Mösner arranged an individual concert, which through the presentation of many concert-pieces proffered the opportunity to listen to her eminent technique on theis noble but difficult instrument. The non plus ultra of her performance was the Robert-Fantasie, her own composition and particularly impressive where two different themes in both systems of the score [Notensystemen] sound simultaneously and are intertwined into one.’ Her flageolet and pedaliing were thought impressive for their dexterity and surety, and after her performances she was received with repeated curtain-calls. During the interval Mr Strakatý sang Czech songs, then Mr Reichel performed the tenor Romanze from Boieldieu’s ‘beiden Nächten’ [Les deux nuits] in a Czech translation, then two Schubert songs, ‘Halt’ and ‘Danksagung an den Bach.’ The concert opened with the vocal quartet ‘Der Wunsch’ by Otto. The ensemble performing this quartet was not identified.

A review, signed ‘V.’, of this concert was published by the German-language newspaper Bohemia 9/1/1861. This reported that ‘When two or three years ago Miss Mösner embarked upon her first tour in public, Prague was one of the first cities that she selected for her debut. She came as a novice in her art, as yet unsignalled by any kind of journalistic fame. The hopes aroused even then by the performances of the young harp virtuoso have since been happily fulfilled. Her modest reputation in Prague may carry little weight; yet its magnitude seems not to be so insignificant as is sometimes assumed. The laurels of the young lady that crowned her first stay here begin to wax ever more lusciously green, and now her name has started to spread not only in the professional but also the political press, the so-called Weltblätter [perhaps distinguishing music, art and informative general periodicals such as Dalibor and Prager Morgenpost from the politically-focussed newspapers such as Prager Zeitung]. In truth Miss Mösner performs astoundingly on this instrument of kings, which she masters with rare virtuosity and great bravura, and knows how to extract the most remarkable moments from so peculiarly poetic-sounding yet brittle material, be it now in magnificent fullness or now in the so-called magic-sounding effects of sons harmoniques. Miss Mösner’s powerful ability to highlight one or even two important melodic phrases in the middle of [the texture of] a brilliant passage that may span all the octaves of the wide-ranging instrument, is just as effective as her rendering of those sections that are conditioned by tenderness and that give us the illusion that we might be hearing the secret language of an Aeolian harp, the sweet mellifluousness of a soft-strung mandolin, or other such instruments either ghostly or graceful. The soloist performed, in addition to three brilliant pieces by Godefroid, the Fantasie on English and Scottish folksongs, the Reminiscences de Robert le diable after Franz Liszt, a real tour de force of a composition loaded with technical difficulties and, as an encore, an equally brilliant pot-pourri of Czech folksongs that, if we are not mistaken, is her own composition. She was enthusiastically applauded and the concert was well attended by a select audience. Miss Mösner was supported by Mr Reichel, who performed a Lied by Schubert and the Romance, furnished with Czech text, from Boieldieu’s Les deux nuits, and by Mr Strakaty, who performed Jelen’s Zenuška and the old-Slavonic Bože můj [My Lord]. Like the concert-giver, who received multiple curtain calls after each number, the two singers were also called back after their numbers.’

The review of this concert appearing in the music periodical Dalibor 10/1/1860 also enthused about the success of the occasion and the quality of the harpist’s playing, noting that she ‘celebrated a genuine triumph. Her pianissimo is the tinkling of an aeolian harp, her fortissimo a stormy hurricane, and her scales magnificent. [. . .] The outcome of this concert for Miss Mösnerová was fabulous beyond measure.’

The programme is reproduced in order corresponding with the Dalibor review. The works for harp were related by the Dalibor source in the order of their performance; their place in the programme being confirmed by the Prager Morgenpost review. According to the latter, the vocal items were performed during the interval.

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