Page 118 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2023. Glasbena društva v dolgem 19. stoletju: med ljubiteljsko in profesionalno kulturo ▪︎ Music societies in the long 19th century: Between amateur and professional culture. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 6
P. 118
glasbena društva v dolgem 19. stoletju: med ljubiteljsko in profesionalno kulturo
townspeople members. Cultivation of common interests also contributed
to the enhancement of collective identity of this social class. In the 19th cen-
tury, Bratislava had the character of a German-Slovak-Hungarian town.2
The dominant German burghers got integrated both economically and so-
cially in Hungarian society and took over the task of the Hungarian mid-
dle class. On the other side, only a small number of the local intelligentsia
adhered to Slovak nationality. This was also reflected in the national com-
position of associations, which were primarily German and German-Hun-
garian. Their establishment began in 1810s and reached its peak in the last
third of the century.
The Society of Bratislava Free Artists and Language Teachers (Verein
der Preßburger freien Künstler und Sprachlehrer) association the statutes
of which were officially approved in 1817 had a primary position in the pro-
cess of constituting modern music associations. His archetype can be seen
in the Viennese Society of Musicians (Tonkünstler-Societät) and the asso-
ciation of the same name from Prague. Its purpose was to support retired
artist and their families and for this aim, organizing concerts to gain finan-
cial funds was one of his activities. Joseph Schodl, a long-time music teach-
er, stood behind the foundation and the entire concept of this institution,
whose patron became Count Stephan Illésházy. Among all artists, music
teachers formed a substantial part of the Society’s membership base.3 The
basic repertoire consisted of opera overtures, symphonies and oratorios by
composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and
Luigi Cherubini.4 The performance of Haydn’s oratories Die Jahreszeiten
and Die Schöpfung belonged to the most important documented music ac-
tivities of the association. In 1828, the musical section led by Ludwig van
Beethoven’s friend the composer and teacher Heinrich Klein (1756–1832)
separated and founded a completely new association focused on the perfor-
mance of church music. However, activities of the Church Music Associa-
tion (Kirchen Musik-Verein) were continuously reduced to zero, and the as-
sociation was dissolved in the year 1832. In addition to Klein’s death, one of
the main reasons for its end was a lack of funds, but a more capable succes-
2 Zuzana Francová, “Obyvatelia – etnická, sociálna a konfesijná skladba,” Bratislava:
(Ročenka Mestského múzea), no. 10 (1998): 20–1.
3 Eva Szórádová, “Z histórie bratislavského Spolku umelcov a učiteľov jazyka,” Slov
enská hudba 29, no. 3–4 (2003): 434.
4 Ľuba Ballová, “Spolok slobodných umelcov a profesorov rečí v Bratislave,” in Hudob
né tradície Bratislavy a ich tvorcovia I., ed. Zdenko Nováček (Bratislava: Obzor, 1974),
76.
116
townspeople members. Cultivation of common interests also contributed
to the enhancement of collective identity of this social class. In the 19th cen-
tury, Bratislava had the character of a German-Slovak-Hungarian town.2
The dominant German burghers got integrated both economically and so-
cially in Hungarian society and took over the task of the Hungarian mid-
dle class. On the other side, only a small number of the local intelligentsia
adhered to Slovak nationality. This was also reflected in the national com-
position of associations, which were primarily German and German-Hun-
garian. Their establishment began in 1810s and reached its peak in the last
third of the century.
The Society of Bratislava Free Artists and Language Teachers (Verein
der Preßburger freien Künstler und Sprachlehrer) association the statutes
of which were officially approved in 1817 had a primary position in the pro-
cess of constituting modern music associations. His archetype can be seen
in the Viennese Society of Musicians (Tonkünstler-Societät) and the asso-
ciation of the same name from Prague. Its purpose was to support retired
artist and their families and for this aim, organizing concerts to gain finan-
cial funds was one of his activities. Joseph Schodl, a long-time music teach-
er, stood behind the foundation and the entire concept of this institution,
whose patron became Count Stephan Illésházy. Among all artists, music
teachers formed a substantial part of the Society’s membership base.3 The
basic repertoire consisted of opera overtures, symphonies and oratorios by
composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and
Luigi Cherubini.4 The performance of Haydn’s oratories Die Jahreszeiten
and Die Schöpfung belonged to the most important documented music ac-
tivities of the association. In 1828, the musical section led by Ludwig van
Beethoven’s friend the composer and teacher Heinrich Klein (1756–1832)
separated and founded a completely new association focused on the perfor-
mance of church music. However, activities of the Church Music Associa-
tion (Kirchen Musik-Verein) were continuously reduced to zero, and the as-
sociation was dissolved in the year 1832. In addition to Klein’s death, one of
the main reasons for its end was a lack of funds, but a more capable succes-
2 Zuzana Francová, “Obyvatelia – etnická, sociálna a konfesijná skladba,” Bratislava:
(Ročenka Mestského múzea), no. 10 (1998): 20–1.
3 Eva Szórádová, “Z histórie bratislavského Spolku umelcov a učiteľov jazyka,” Slov
enská hudba 29, no. 3–4 (2003): 434.
4 Ľuba Ballová, “Spolok slobodných umelcov a profesorov rečí v Bratislave,” in Hudob
né tradície Bratislavy a ich tvorcovia I., ed. Zdenko Nováček (Bratislava: Obzor, 1974),
76.
116
