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

Prager Morgenpost and Prager Zeitung 28/11/1861 reported that ‘The first Concert of the Cecilia Society, which takes place on 30th November 1861 at 4.30pm in the Žofín Hall, contains the following programme: 1st part: Symphony in C major by S. Jadassohn, op.24 (for the first time). 2nd part: Die Maikönigin by William Sterndale Bennet [Bennett], op.39 (for the first time). The solo parts have with particular kindness ben taken by Miss Mik [Miková], Mrs Procháska [Schmidt-Procházková], Mr Bernard and Mr Krén.’

Bohemia 29/11/1861 published an advertisement for the concerts of the Cecilia Society to be given during the 1861-62 season. This noted: ‘Programme to this year’s Cecilia Society Concerts [Cäcilien-Vereins-Concerten]. 1st Concert (Saturday 30th November 1861): Die Mai-Königin by Bennet - Symphonie by Jadassohn (for the first time). 2nd Concert: Undine by Benedikt (for the first time). 3rd Concert: Lucider von van Eyken (for the first time). Subscriptions, as well as tickets to individual concerts, are to be obtained from the music shop of Mr Jacob Fischer.’ This advertisement was published again in the newspaper on 30/11/1861.

The Dalibor 10/12/1861 report included a brief biographical note about Sterndale Bennett, followed by a short yet enthusiastic critique of his cantata The May Queen. The Symphony by Jadassohn was received politely by the Dalibor critic, who noted that the work contained ‘many fresh ideas, piquant orchestration, lively rhythm and pretty modulations.’ The performances under the direction of Antonín Apt were ‘very satisfactory for forces [that are] so uneven.’ The Cecilia Society comprised many amateur musicians. Both compositions were noted as being given for the first time [in Prague].

A detailed review, signed ‘V.’, of this concert was published by Bohemia 3/12/1861. This text noted that the text of Bennett’s work had been translated into German by Sophie Klingemann. A review was also published by Prager Zeitung 5/12/1861, signed ‘!!’. The correspondent commented that ‘The Cecilia Society concert brought a refreshing ferment to this autumn’s dull concert season. This society’s concerts always stand out from the others like giants among a crowd of misshapen pygmies. While of late the programmes have been dictated by chance, patronage, national tendencies or similar motives, there has [always] prevailed only a single principle, which is always “to bring novelty”. Thus on Saturday we got to hear two new items whose composers are still seldom spoken of in Prague, namely The May Queen (a pastoral) for soloists, chorus and orchestra by William Sterndale Bennet and a symphony by Jadassohn. The personal temperament of the English composer is familiar. Lyrical through and through, he succeeds in renouncing his musical self as little in this work as in the best-known here of his 30 works, the overtures The Naiads and The Wood-Nymphs. Moreover he is unable, like all unoriginal constitutions, ever to fully divest himself of the formidable influence of his master, Mendelssohn. As befits the title, all ten numbers are in a more or less pastoral-lyrical mould. The ideas are fresh but are supported by only simple harmonies and never worked into a polyphonic composition. This, plus a lack of interesting instrumental colouring, gives rise to considerable monotony from which there is only a partial respite in the energetically rhythmic Ballad of Robin Hood (Grat) [possibly a corruption of ‘Great’] in C-sharp minor and then in the chorus, no.8, in which pulsates a dramatic life.

Much more significant, if not exactly epoch-defining, is the symphony that preceded the pastoral, by the violin virtuoso Jadassohn in Königsberg. It harbours a great treasure of precious and insinuating ideas which, though presented to us only in conventional symphonic form, still carried fine sentiment. We did not find the composer to be demanding, but to communicate this appropriately, he is full of obeisance that always holds him back from pressing upon us his ideas, generated from solid knowledge, in a brusque manner. One chases after the other, but the second follows the first as in nature in a logical order, and before we are lost one idea spins out into a second, always more complete. The symphony was performed incomparably more precisely than the Pastoral was in the recitatives. The main parts were taken by some of the most able of our performers: Miss Mik [Miková] (May Queen), Mrs Schmidt-Prochazka (Queen), Herr Bernard (Arthur) and Herr Kren (Robin Hood). The large audience expressed its applause in plenty.’