Page 123 - 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
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ical associations and their place in the musical life of br atislava in the 19th century
complicated compositions, humoristic duets and quartets, arrangements of
folk songs, etc. were played.
The Pressburger Liedertafel/Pozsonyi dalárda, the oldest men’s cho-
ral association, was officially formed in 1857 on the initiative of vocal coach
Ludwig Stoffregen.12 Its activities culminated when managed by skilled
choirmasters Karl Mayrberger and Ferdinand Kitzinger.13 During their
terms in office, the difficult pieces of the choral literature such as Rich-
ard Wagner’s Das Liebesmahl der Apostel, Ferdinand David’s Die Wüste,
and the chorus of Capulets from Roméo et Juliette, a symphony dramatique
written by Hector Berlioz, were locally premiered. Johannes Brahms who
visited the premiere of his cantata Rinaldo in Bratislava received great ova-
tions. Choir pieces written by the local composers Karl Mayrberger and Jo-
sef Thiard-Laforest were sung too. The association was also performing at
the funeral of their former choirmaster Josef Kumlik. Except for the choral
genre, the then form of vocal quartets was cultivated too. The choral group
rehearsed and locally premiered almost all-important men’s choruses of
Franz Liszt and was mainly striving for performing Liszt’s music togeth-
er with the Church Music Association and another institution called the
Pressburger Singverein/Pozsonyi dalegylet.14 It was founded in 1879 upon
the initiative of Anton Strehlen and Julius von Simonyi and was focused
on the cultivation of combined choral, women’s, and men’s singing.15 Ac-
tivities of the association included singing exercises, individual public per-
formances (concerts, music and music-entertainment evenings), participa-
tion on public events as the choral singing component, and organization
of concerts (including guest artists and instrumental music). Both the do-
mestic and guest soloists were performing in the concerts including Ernst
von Dohnányi, Johann Kopetzky, Raoul (Rudolf) Mader, Maria Stegerová,
Franz Tranta or Géza Zichy. Both smaller and larger choral pieces as well
12 Jana Lengová, “Das deutsche Chorgesangwesen in Pressburg am Beispiel der Press-
burger Liedertafel – Nationale und regionale Identität,” in Chorgesang als Medi
um von Interkulturalität: Formen, Kanale, Diskurse (Berichte des interkulturellen
Forschungsprojekts “Deutsche Musikkultur im östlichen Europa“ 3), ed. Erik Fisher
(Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2007), 31.
13 Viera Žitná, “Bratislavské spevácke zbory v druhej polovici 19. storočia,” in Franz
Liszt a jeho bratislavskí priatelia (Hudobné tradície Bratislavy a ich tvorcovia, vol. 2),
ed. Alexandra Tauberová (Bratislava: Obzor, 1975), 224.
14 Jana Lengová, “Nové poznatky k činnosti Bratislavského speváckeho spolku,”
in Hudobnohistorický výskum na Slovensku začiatkom 21. storočia II., ed. Marta
Hulková (Bratislava: Stimul, 2010), 376.
15 Jana Lengová, “Bratislavský spevácky spolok a jeho prvý zbormajster Anton Stre-
hlen,” Musicologica Slovaca 11, no. 1 (2020): 35.
121
complicated compositions, humoristic duets and quartets, arrangements of
folk songs, etc. were played.
The Pressburger Liedertafel/Pozsonyi dalárda, the oldest men’s cho-
ral association, was officially formed in 1857 on the initiative of vocal coach
Ludwig Stoffregen.12 Its activities culminated when managed by skilled
choirmasters Karl Mayrberger and Ferdinand Kitzinger.13 During their
terms in office, the difficult pieces of the choral literature such as Rich-
ard Wagner’s Das Liebesmahl der Apostel, Ferdinand David’s Die Wüste,
and the chorus of Capulets from Roméo et Juliette, a symphony dramatique
written by Hector Berlioz, were locally premiered. Johannes Brahms who
visited the premiere of his cantata Rinaldo in Bratislava received great ova-
tions. Choir pieces written by the local composers Karl Mayrberger and Jo-
sef Thiard-Laforest were sung too. The association was also performing at
the funeral of their former choirmaster Josef Kumlik. Except for the choral
genre, the then form of vocal quartets was cultivated too. The choral group
rehearsed and locally premiered almost all-important men’s choruses of
Franz Liszt and was mainly striving for performing Liszt’s music togeth-
er with the Church Music Association and another institution called the
Pressburger Singverein/Pozsonyi dalegylet.14 It was founded in 1879 upon
the initiative of Anton Strehlen and Julius von Simonyi and was focused
on the cultivation of combined choral, women’s, and men’s singing.15 Ac-
tivities of the association included singing exercises, individual public per-
formances (concerts, music and music-entertainment evenings), participa-
tion on public events as the choral singing component, and organization
of concerts (including guest artists and instrumental music). Both the do-
mestic and guest soloists were performing in the concerts including Ernst
von Dohnányi, Johann Kopetzky, Raoul (Rudolf) Mader, Maria Stegerová,
Franz Tranta or Géza Zichy. Both smaller and larger choral pieces as well
12 Jana Lengová, “Das deutsche Chorgesangwesen in Pressburg am Beispiel der Press-
burger Liedertafel – Nationale und regionale Identität,” in Chorgesang als Medi
um von Interkulturalität: Formen, Kanale, Diskurse (Berichte des interkulturellen
Forschungsprojekts “Deutsche Musikkultur im östlichen Europa“ 3), ed. Erik Fisher
(Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2007), 31.
13 Viera Žitná, “Bratislavské spevácke zbory v druhej polovici 19. storočia,” in Franz
Liszt a jeho bratislavskí priatelia (Hudobné tradície Bratislavy a ich tvorcovia, vol. 2),
ed. Alexandra Tauberová (Bratislava: Obzor, 1975), 224.
14 Jana Lengová, “Nové poznatky k činnosti Bratislavského speváckeho spolku,”
in Hudobnohistorický výskum na Slovensku začiatkom 21. storočia II., ed. Marta
Hulková (Bratislava: Stimul, 2010), 376.
15 Jana Lengová, “Bratislavský spevácky spolok a jeho prvý zbormajster Anton Stre-
hlen,” Musicologica Slovaca 11, no. 1 (2020): 35.
121
