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

The earliest published report, appearing in the Czech music periodical Dalibor 7/10/1858, noted only that the ‘concerts of the Cecilian society, interesting concerts which already for 18 years have been of great service to the gain of musical taste in Prague, start at the beginning of November. In the first we will hear the locally unknown composition of Schumann Pouť růže [Der Rose Pilgerfahrt], which excells for its poetic fancy.’ The concert actually took place at the end rather than the beginning of November, on the first Saturday following St Cecilia’s Day. Notice of the event was given in news published by Prager Morgenpost 25/11/1858, by Prager Zeitung 25/11/1858, and in a large advertisement published on the day before the concert by Bohemia 26/11/1858. All three sources reported the time and the venue of the concert. Morgenpost noted that the solists would comprise Miss Schmidt [Schmidtová], Lukes, Eilers and Strakatý, Prager Zeitung listed the participating soloists as Miss Schmidt, Miss Mik [Miková], Lukes and Strakatý. The Bohemia advertisment announced that tickets were available from Mr Fischer. Pre-performance notice of the event was also given in the Tageskalender of Bohemia 27/11/1858.

A brief post-concert report appeared in Prager Morgenpost 28/11/1858. This noted that the concert season had commenced with the first annual concert of the Cecilia Society and applauded the organization for again looking to perform works which could not be said to constitute the most ‘popular’ scores. Schumann’s ‘very poetic’ Der Rose Pilgerfahrt was interestingly classed by the reporter as a ‘half-oratorio’. On 30/11/1858 Prager Morgenpost published a substantial appraisal of the composition, described as a ‘half-oratorio’ as well as a ‘secular oratorio’. The work found considerable favour with the unsigned Prager Morgenpost reviewer. The work was perceived to contain pages ‘in which Schumann’s noble and highly gifted special beauty emerges.’ It was held to be a true composition in the Romantic genre of art inspired by nature, characteristic of a Schumann of which ‘the pianist will be familiar from his Waldscenen, and the singer from his lovely cycle of Eichendorf Lieder’, yet here encapsulating too ‘magic visions and subtle feelings through the many voiced speech of the orchestra.’ Particular praise was afforded the ‘enchanting’ and ‘delicate colour-mixing of the orchestration.’ The unusual subjective basis of the work - the incarnation of a rose and its loves and eventual death - was noted, together with the view that such a topic was difficult to treat within the dimensions of an oratorio. However, Schumann ‘with singular stroke of genius’ was thought to overcome such difficulty through his free treatment of the text and his succesful adaption of it to an oratorio scheme. Monotony (a criticism levied by the Dalibor reviewer), was considered to have been avoided through the vivid depiction of the various contrasting parts of the story, spanning the ‘serious and intellectual’ to the ‘comic and humorous genre painting of the human circle [of life]’. Thus, the scene of the crypt was held by the Morgenpost critic to have been well-exploited and made especially potent through expressive harmony and ‘outlandish, gloomy orchestration’; the picture of a country wedding through ‘its almost rollicking, humorous representation by the orchestra.’ In relation to musical technique the reviewer noted that the narrative form of the poem was manifest in the epic style of quasi-recitatives. The text also reported that the composition was originally intended for the broad public or the concert hall; the composer had in mind a narrow circle of musical friends and thus it was first scored for solo voices, chorus and piano accompaniment. The first performance was reported to have been at a subscription concert in Dusseldorf in 1852.

The review, signed ‘!!’, published by Prager Zeitung was similarly enthusiastic in its reception of Schumann’s work but began with considerable praise for the endeavours of the Cecilia Society who with this production opened the new concert season. Their Director [Antonín Apt, although interestingly Apt’s name was rarely mentioned in these German-language periodical reports] was credited not only with founding the society but also with the introduction in Prague of many new compositions. Der Rose Pilgerfahrt was held to be one such good example, ‘a tender, aromatic, consistently ideallistic poem that Schumann has set so gloriously and characteristically. The performance must... [taking into] account such disparate forces be considered felicitous. Exquisitely good were the solo parts with Miss Mik [Miková], Miss Schmidt [Schmidtová], Lukes, Eilers and Strakatý.’ The reviewer noted that the audience had included a large number of ladies and remarked upon the public’s intense concentration and particular appreciation of certain numbers, namely the ‘poetic Overture in A major, the solemn Funeral chorus in the second part and the zestful mens’ chorus in E-flat major.’ The only significant criticism was ‘It is only a pity that... one must be satisfied with a single production of such a highly interesting work.’ The author reported that the general rehearsal had taken place in the cramped rooms of the Cecilia Society [in the City of Jerusalem Restaurant] and he was therefore unable to have then been present. Interestingly, a long and enthusiastic article by A.W. Ambros discussing in depth Schumann’s cantata and including some comment about its performance by the Cecilia Society appeared over two days as the Feuilleton section of Prager Zeitung 30/11/1860 and 1/12/1860.

Of the Czech periodicals reporting after this event, Dalibor 2/12/1858 related that the music ‘is characteristically distinct and poetic, although in the first part seemed in places to be monotonous.’ The work was described briefly by the unsigned critic of the Lumír 2/12/1858 review as an ‘ingenious although in places a little confused composition. The performance was very successful.’ A note was also added that the German text to the canata had been ‘faithfully and fully’ translated into Czech by František Jeřábek and published in Pražské noviny with the title Pouť růže. This was probably for the benefit of Czech speakers in the audience and was not an indication that the performance itself was given in Czech.

The solo vocalists were Miss Josefa Schmidtova, Miss Emilie Miková, Albert Eilers, J.L. Lukes and Karel Strakatý. Directing the concert was the founder of the Cecilia Society, Antonín Apt.