Page 344 - 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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glasbena društva v dolgem 19. stoletju: med ljubiteljsko in profesionalno kulturo
quality of the Society to a different artistic level and performed the contem-
porary works of the time such as those by Schumann, Wagner, and Brahms,
which were unknown to audiences in Ljubljana at that time. With his rep-
ertoire he overcame the prevailing provincialism in the city, and also en-
sured the promotion of Slavic and Slovenian compositions among the Ger-
man-speaking public. During Nedvěd’s time at the Philharmonic Society,
many renowned soloists from various countries performed in philharmon-
ic concerts, and numerous compositions by Wagner and Beethoven were
performed. Nedvěd himself composed over 300 works,20 mainly vocal. As a
singer, he also wrote solo songs for tenor, baritone and soprano with piano
accompaniment. Nedvěd participated in more than 180 concerts in Lju-
bljana,21 mostly as a conductor, and was the most performed composer in
the Slovene lands and its hinterland between 1856 and 1896. His composi-
tions were performed at more than 800 concerts and smaller events in nu-
merous Slovenian cities and towns.22
The Viennese musician Josef Zöhrer (1841–1916) studied piano and
composition in Vienna. He came to Ljubljana from Trieste and performed
as a pianist and cellist. From 1865 he was a teacher of piano, singing, cel-
lo and choir at the school of the Philharmonic Society. In 1868, due to Ned-
věd’s illness, he conducted three symphony concerts for the first time. After
Nedvěd’s retirement he took over the direction of the society, a post he held
until 1912. Although Zöhrer essentially adhered to the classical and roman-
tic tradition in his choice of repertoire, the concert programs of the Phil-
harmonic Society are a constant testimony to his efforts to acquaint Lju-
bljana audiences with the latest creative achievements of some of the most
important contemporary composers. He had a particular fondness for the
music of Wagner, but also frequently included works by Slavic composers
20 His oeuvre includes 360 works, including short compositions for youth from collec-
tions that are also signed by other authors. Excluding these, the number is 127. The
largest number are vocal works (100), including 67 male choruses, 22 mixed cho-
ruses, seven songs and three songbooks for youth and one female chorus. There are
25 vocal-instrumental works and only two instrumental pieces. See: Doris Primc,
“Skladateljski opus Antona Nedvěda” (MA, University in Ljubljana, 2021), 37. I also
would like to thank Tonja Čakš for her help with entering Nedvěd’s compositions
into the project’s database.
21 More than 50 of his compositions were performed at more than 150 concerts in Lju-
bljana. This data is based on the transcription of the concerts of the Philharmonic
Society between 1816 and 1919.
22 This information is based on the list of public performances of Nedvěd’s composi-
tions compiled as part of Doris Primc Master thesis. See: Primc, “Skladateljski opus
Antona Nedvěda,” 289–326.
342
quality of the Society to a different artistic level and performed the contem-
porary works of the time such as those by Schumann, Wagner, and Brahms,
which were unknown to audiences in Ljubljana at that time. With his rep-
ertoire he overcame the prevailing provincialism in the city, and also en-
sured the promotion of Slavic and Slovenian compositions among the Ger-
man-speaking public. During Nedvěd’s time at the Philharmonic Society,
many renowned soloists from various countries performed in philharmon-
ic concerts, and numerous compositions by Wagner and Beethoven were
performed. Nedvěd himself composed over 300 works,20 mainly vocal. As a
singer, he also wrote solo songs for tenor, baritone and soprano with piano
accompaniment. Nedvěd participated in more than 180 concerts in Lju-
bljana,21 mostly as a conductor, and was the most performed composer in
the Slovene lands and its hinterland between 1856 and 1896. His composi-
tions were performed at more than 800 concerts and smaller events in nu-
merous Slovenian cities and towns.22
The Viennese musician Josef Zöhrer (1841–1916) studied piano and
composition in Vienna. He came to Ljubljana from Trieste and performed
as a pianist and cellist. From 1865 he was a teacher of piano, singing, cel-
lo and choir at the school of the Philharmonic Society. In 1868, due to Ned-
věd’s illness, he conducted three symphony concerts for the first time. After
Nedvěd’s retirement he took over the direction of the society, a post he held
until 1912. Although Zöhrer essentially adhered to the classical and roman-
tic tradition in his choice of repertoire, the concert programs of the Phil-
harmonic Society are a constant testimony to his efforts to acquaint Lju-
bljana audiences with the latest creative achievements of some of the most
important contemporary composers. He had a particular fondness for the
music of Wagner, but also frequently included works by Slavic composers
20 His oeuvre includes 360 works, including short compositions for youth from collec-
tions that are also signed by other authors. Excluding these, the number is 127. The
largest number are vocal works (100), including 67 male choruses, 22 mixed cho-
ruses, seven songs and three songbooks for youth and one female chorus. There are
25 vocal-instrumental works and only two instrumental pieces. See: Doris Primc,
“Skladateljski opus Antona Nedvěda” (MA, University in Ljubljana, 2021), 37. I also
would like to thank Tonja Čakš for her help with entering Nedvěd’s compositions
into the project’s database.
21 More than 50 of his compositions were performed at more than 150 concerts in Lju-
bljana. This data is based on the transcription of the concerts of the Philharmonic
Society between 1816 and 1919.
22 This information is based on the list of public performances of Nedvěd’s composi-
tions compiled as part of Doris Primc Master thesis. See: Primc, “Skladateljski opus
Antona Nedvěda,” 289–326.
342
