Page 339 - 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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the role and contribution of immigrant musicians to the music societies ...
musically vibrant Italy. In addition to concerts in private circles, they also
performed on the concert stage of the Philharmonic Society.
Thus, in the first half of the nineteenth century the musical life of Lju-
bljana was characterized almost exclusively by foreign musicians. Some of
them settled in Ljubljana temporarily or even permanently, while others
responded to personal invitations or a vacant teaching post. A number of
musicians came to Ljubljana with the military bands stationed in the city
and participated in its musical life. The town attracted mainly young, un-
known musicians who were still at the beginning of their careers. One of
them was, for example, the then completely unknown nineteen-year-old
Franz Schubert (1797–1828), who unsuccessfully applied for the vacant po-
sition at the newly founded Public Music School (Öffentliche Musikschule)
in 1816.5 Franz Sokol (1779–1822)6 from Bohemia was appointed a teacher at
the newly founded music school, later followed by a few other immigrant
musicians.
In 1821, the Congress of Laibach made the capital of Carniola the cen-
tre of European politics for a few months. The lively events attracted mon-
archs, nobles and famous artists, including the violin virtuoso Joseph Ben-
esch (1795–1873),7 who gave several concerts as part of the Philharmonic
Society. At this time, the Society was led by the Prague musician Caspar
Maschek (Gašper Mašek; 1794–1873). The musical program was rich in both
5 Viktor Steska, “Javna glasbena šola v Ljubljani od leta 1816 do 1875,” Cerkveni glas
benik 52, no. 2 (1929): 24–8.
6 Franz Sokol was born on 27 November 1779 in Sadská. He came to Ljubljana from
Klagenfurt, where he worked as a music teacher, composer and military bandmaster.
At the Public Music School he taught violin, piano, organ, and singing, and he was
active as a soloist and composer, performing in several Philharmonic Society con-
certs. He died in Ljubljana on 6 February 1822. See: Státní oblastní archiv v Praze,
Sadská 06, Taufbuch: 1767–1784, fol. 297; Nadškofijski arhiv Ljubljana, Ljubljana -
Sv. Peter, Sig. 01273, Sterbebuch: 12–1824, fol. 103.
7 Joseph Benesch was born on 11 January 1795 in Batelov, Bohemia. He studied mu-
sic privately in Vienna with Martin Schlesinger and in 1819 embarked on a musical
journey through Italy. From 1823 to 1828 he was orchestral director of the Philhar-
monic Society in Ljubljana, and from 1826 he was also a violin teacher at the school
there. He performed in more than 90 concerts in Ljubljana and participated as or-
chestral director of the Estates Theatre as well as soloist and orchestral director. In
1828, he returned to Vienna, where he found financial security as a member of the
orchestra of the prestigious Vienna Court Chapel and Court Theatre (Hofburgtheat
er), which he later directed. He wrote more than 50 works, mainly for violin, but also
for guitar and string quartet. He died in Vienna on 11 February 1873. See: Maruša
Zupančič, “Joseph Benesch (1795–1873): The forgotten Bohemian violinist and Nic-
colo Paganini’s imitator within the Central European Violinism,” De musica disser
enda 18, no. 1/2 (2022): 11–76, https://doi.org/10.3986/dmd18.1-2.01.
337
musically vibrant Italy. In addition to concerts in private circles, they also
performed on the concert stage of the Philharmonic Society.
Thus, in the first half of the nineteenth century the musical life of Lju-
bljana was characterized almost exclusively by foreign musicians. Some of
them settled in Ljubljana temporarily or even permanently, while others
responded to personal invitations or a vacant teaching post. A number of
musicians came to Ljubljana with the military bands stationed in the city
and participated in its musical life. The town attracted mainly young, un-
known musicians who were still at the beginning of their careers. One of
them was, for example, the then completely unknown nineteen-year-old
Franz Schubert (1797–1828), who unsuccessfully applied for the vacant po-
sition at the newly founded Public Music School (Öffentliche Musikschule)
in 1816.5 Franz Sokol (1779–1822)6 from Bohemia was appointed a teacher at
the newly founded music school, later followed by a few other immigrant
musicians.
In 1821, the Congress of Laibach made the capital of Carniola the cen-
tre of European politics for a few months. The lively events attracted mon-
archs, nobles and famous artists, including the violin virtuoso Joseph Ben-
esch (1795–1873),7 who gave several concerts as part of the Philharmonic
Society. At this time, the Society was led by the Prague musician Caspar
Maschek (Gašper Mašek; 1794–1873). The musical program was rich in both
5 Viktor Steska, “Javna glasbena šola v Ljubljani od leta 1816 do 1875,” Cerkveni glas
benik 52, no. 2 (1929): 24–8.
6 Franz Sokol was born on 27 November 1779 in Sadská. He came to Ljubljana from
Klagenfurt, where he worked as a music teacher, composer and military bandmaster.
At the Public Music School he taught violin, piano, organ, and singing, and he was
active as a soloist and composer, performing in several Philharmonic Society con-
certs. He died in Ljubljana on 6 February 1822. See: Státní oblastní archiv v Praze,
Sadská 06, Taufbuch: 1767–1784, fol. 297; Nadškofijski arhiv Ljubljana, Ljubljana -
Sv. Peter, Sig. 01273, Sterbebuch: 12–1824, fol. 103.
7 Joseph Benesch was born on 11 January 1795 in Batelov, Bohemia. He studied mu-
sic privately in Vienna with Martin Schlesinger and in 1819 embarked on a musical
journey through Italy. From 1823 to 1828 he was orchestral director of the Philhar-
monic Society in Ljubljana, and from 1826 he was also a violin teacher at the school
there. He performed in more than 90 concerts in Ljubljana and participated as or-
chestral director of the Estates Theatre as well as soloist and orchestral director. In
1828, he returned to Vienna, where he found financial security as a member of the
orchestra of the prestigious Vienna Court Chapel and Court Theatre (Hofburgtheat
er), which he later directed. He wrote more than 50 works, mainly for violin, but also
for guitar and string quartet. He died in Vienna on 11 February 1873. See: Maruša
Zupančič, “Joseph Benesch (1795–1873): The forgotten Bohemian violinist and Nic-
colo Paganini’s imitator within the Central European Violinism,” De musica disser
enda 18, no. 1/2 (2022): 11–76, https://doi.org/10.3986/dmd18.1-2.01.
337
