• Civil Musical Ensemble: participating ensemble

Mercy’s Anzeiger 3/12/1854 reported that ‘On the Žofín Island takes place today a production by the Civil Musical Ensemble [Civilkapelle] of Mr Kapellmeister Swoboda [Svoboda].’ No further details were given by the source. The Vergnügungsanzeiger of Mercy’s Anzeiger 3/12/1854 reported ‘Today Sunday... On the Žofín Island: Music of the new Prague Civil Ensemble’.

Neither source specified whether this event took place in the Žofín Hall or in the gardens of the Žofín Island. Although the time of year may suggest that an outside performance was unlikely, the fact that the Hall was not mentioned may have indicated that the occasion was outdoors. However, the subsequent account published by Mercy’s Anzeiger 5/12/1854 describing an occasion in which a large part of the audience was female, together with a note about there being food and drink at the event, indicates more likely that the occasion was in the Žofín Hall.

Mercy’s Anzeiger 5/12/1854 published news of this event relating how the occasion was dominated by a dispute spilling over from the previous entertainment given by this ensemble. This stemmed from the event involving the choice of the best dances being given to the female members of the audience attending. This had lead to contentious disagreements between members of the audience in coming to a decision as to the best Polka. The Mercy’s Anzeiger 5/12/1854 correspondent noted: ‘The musical War of the Women [Der musikalische Damenkrieg], being fought by the musical ensemble of Mr Swoboda [Svoboda] in alliance with the public, seems to be permanently ongoing. The Polka-battle persisted from the previous Soirée, in which the two hostile armies of the public displaying matching force and stamina were long at loggerheads before the „Chasseur-Polka“ of Miss Ringelsberg was adjudged the victor. The „unbekannt sein wollende [lit. Indomitable]“ ladies, defeated but not quashed, the day before yesterday came once more into the fray with a „Schuss- und Truss-Polka“, trying to snatch the victory laurels from the foe. Twice the Indomitable advanced with performances of their Polka. The spectating army of the public without doubt would have been the stronger, if the poor atmospheric conditions had not hampered communication - and from [reasons of] victuals, their surviving more than 2 hours without food and drink, they found the battlefield arduous. Anyone who wishes to study the battle in detail can do so from the piano arrangement available from the publisher Marco Berra.’

The humorous yet intriguingly descriptive comments of the latter review offer notable insights into the event, specifically in the thinly veiled observations as to the length of the occasion prior to the availability of food and to the ‘poor atmospheric conditions’ - probably a reference to the boisterous and combative nature of the occasion.