• Cecilia Society: participating institution, vv, orch
• APT, Antonín: director of ensemble, conductor

Advance news of this concert first appeared in Prager Morgenpost 21/4/1861. The newspaper reported thatthe fourth concert of the Cecilia Society would include the native works: ‘„Die Braut von Messina“ for 3 solo voices, chorus and orchestra by W. Tomaschek - new Czech male-voice choruses: „Staročeská přání“ by Joh. Nep. Skroup [Škroup] and „Kovářská“ by Vogel... The other numbers of the programme will comprise works by Haydn, Mozart, Cherubini and Rubinstein.’ Full details of the date, time, venue, participating soloists and programme then appeared in this newspaper on 25/4/1861. The programme was to have included an aria from Rubinstein’s oratorio Die verlorene Paradies, but this was not performed. Each of the compositions in the first half of the programme were noted to be being given for the first time. The event recored programme is reproduced in the order given by this source, but not including the work by Rubinstein. A review, unsigned, was published by Prager Morgenpost 27/4/1861.

Prager Zeitung 25/4/1861 reported that ‘On next Friday takes place the fourth concert of the Cecilia Society with the participation of the ladies Mik [Miková] and Prochaska-Schmidt [Schimdt-Procházková] and of Mr Eilers. Throughout the first part are to be performed novelties, in the second part Mozart’s Symphony in E-flat major.’

The unsigned Dalibor 1/5/1861 review praised the director of the Cecilia Society, Antonín Apt, for including ‘mainly works of Czech composers’ in this programme, and commented that ‘the performance of all these pieces, with so uneven musical forces, was successful and correct.’ This allusion to the ‘uneven’ forces of the Society referred to the fact that the Prague Cecilia Society was made up primarily of amateur musicians. The Národní listy 28/4/1861 review, signed ‘Z.’, included an enthusiastic appraisal of Tomášek’s Scena Die Braut von Messina, asserting that this work occupies ‘for certain a high level among other compositions of its type.’ This critic expressed gratitude upon hearing the muse of a master considered ‘to be more renowned for his pupils [citing J.F. Kittl and Alexander Dreyschock] than for his own merits... The Scena that we just heard, convinces us anew that Tomášek was a profound, musically talented spirit, and that he did not stand even an inch behind the foreign stars of his time. All in all, this composition is dominated by such harmoniousness, character and directness, and such pithiness, as qualities we encounter only in works of old Classicists, so that we wish to affirm, that Tomášek had all the qualities required of a musician who would instil Greek tragedy in music.’ The works by J.N. Škroup and Fr. Vogl, which were encored, were also praised by the Národní listy critic. The solo vocalists in Tomášek’s Scena were Mrs Josefa Schmidt-Procházková, Miss Emilie Miková and Albert Eilers. The soloist in the aria by Haydn was Mrs Schmidt-Procházková.

According to the Národní listy 26/4/1861 pre-concert report, the production was to have included a performance of two choruses by J.N. Škroup, and an aria from Anton Rubinstein’s oratorio Das verlorne Paradies. However, in the event only one chorus by Škroup was given, with the oratorio extract by Rubinstein not being performed because, according to the Národní listy review, the intended soloist was ‘not notified’. Thus although the Národní listy 26/4/1861 report announced the programme in performance order, this order subsequently altered as a result of the programme changes. The Dalibor 1/5/1861 review indicated the sequence in which certain works were performed, but this text was not comprehensive in its coverage of the occasion, notably failing to mention the performance of Cherubini’s Overture to Faniska. The inclusion of this item in the concert was confirmed by the Národní listy 28/4/1861 review. Therefore the programme included herein is reproduced in order corresponding with the Dalibor 20/4/1861 report, but with the addition of the Overture as the first item, as noted by the original report by Národní listy 26/4/1861. The division of the concert into two halves, as specified by this same Národní listy text is maintained, the performance of a symphony as the complete single half of a concert representing a common practice in Prague concert programming during this period.

A detailed review, signed ‘!!’ of this event was published by Prager Zeitung 28/4/1861.