Page 347 - 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 ...
ing societies as a form of strengthening national consciousness and the cul-
tural-political situation in the monarchy. Slovenian reading societies were
inspired by the Pan-Slavic–oriented societies in Vienna and Graz, where
singing played a central role. Reading societies generally focused on choral
singing and plays written in Slovenian.31
The National Reading Society in Ljubljana was founded in the fall of
1861 on the initiative of Janez Bleiweis and at the urging of Croatian patri-
ots and members of the Reading Society. An important factor for its estab-
lishment was the national discord in the German-Slovenian choral socie-
ty (Liedertafel), which was becoming increasingly German. The National
Reading Society in Ljubljana established an extensive programme, includ-
ing obligatory choral singing, which in the first year was directed by Anton
Nedvěd, the aforementioned Czech choirmaster of the Philharmonic So-
ciety of Ljubljana. His successful work and refreshed repertoire, to which
he himself contributed as a composer, led to an exodus of singers from the
Philharmonic Society to the Reading Society. Nedvěd was forced to choose
between the two sides. For financial reasons he remained loyal to the Phil-
harmonic Society, but also continued to work with various Slovenian soci-
eties until his death.32
After Nedvěd, other musicians led the choir and continued his work.
Josef Fabian (1835–1870) from the Prague Conservatory took over the choir
in 1863. In order to raise the level of the choir, he founded a singing school,
transformed the all-male ensemble into a mixed choir, and performed com-
positionally more demanding works by Slovenian and Croatian compos-
ers.33 He was followed by a number of professional musicians, again mostly
from the Czech lands, among them Václav Procházka and Anton Foerst-
er (1837–1926).34 The latter introduced a singing school and wrote a manu-
al for this purpose, a “Short Instruction for Singing Lessons” (Kratek navod
za pouk v petji; 1867). In 1870 he left the choir and devoted himself to the
Drama Society (Dramatično društvo) and the Ljubljana Cathedral Choir.35
Between 1867 and 1891, the National Reading Society of Ljubljana or-
ganized more than 100 recitals (bésede), often featuring the compositions of
31 Darja Koter, “Pevski zbori in glasbena društva,” in Zgodovina glasbe na Slovenskem
III, ed. Aleš Nagode and Nataša Cigoj Krstulović (Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filo-
zofske fakultete and Založba ZRC, 2021), 80, https://doi.org/10.4312/9789610605270.
32 Jernej Weiss, Češki glasbeniki v 19. in na začetku 20. stoletja na Slovenskem, 144–6.
33 Koter, “Pevski zbori in glasbena društva,” in Zgodovina glasbe na Slovenskem III, 83.
34 Weiss, Češki glasbeniki, 148.
35 Koter, “Pevski zbori in glasbena društva,” 83–4.
345
ing societies as a form of strengthening national consciousness and the cul-
tural-political situation in the monarchy. Slovenian reading societies were
inspired by the Pan-Slavic–oriented societies in Vienna and Graz, where
singing played a central role. Reading societies generally focused on choral
singing and plays written in Slovenian.31
The National Reading Society in Ljubljana was founded in the fall of
1861 on the initiative of Janez Bleiweis and at the urging of Croatian patri-
ots and members of the Reading Society. An important factor for its estab-
lishment was the national discord in the German-Slovenian choral socie-
ty (Liedertafel), which was becoming increasingly German. The National
Reading Society in Ljubljana established an extensive programme, includ-
ing obligatory choral singing, which in the first year was directed by Anton
Nedvěd, the aforementioned Czech choirmaster of the Philharmonic So-
ciety of Ljubljana. His successful work and refreshed repertoire, to which
he himself contributed as a composer, led to an exodus of singers from the
Philharmonic Society to the Reading Society. Nedvěd was forced to choose
between the two sides. For financial reasons he remained loyal to the Phil-
harmonic Society, but also continued to work with various Slovenian soci-
eties until his death.32
After Nedvěd, other musicians led the choir and continued his work.
Josef Fabian (1835–1870) from the Prague Conservatory took over the choir
in 1863. In order to raise the level of the choir, he founded a singing school,
transformed the all-male ensemble into a mixed choir, and performed com-
positionally more demanding works by Slovenian and Croatian compos-
ers.33 He was followed by a number of professional musicians, again mostly
from the Czech lands, among them Václav Procházka and Anton Foerst-
er (1837–1926).34 The latter introduced a singing school and wrote a manu-
al for this purpose, a “Short Instruction for Singing Lessons” (Kratek navod
za pouk v petji; 1867). In 1870 he left the choir and devoted himself to the
Drama Society (Dramatično društvo) and the Ljubljana Cathedral Choir.35
Between 1867 and 1891, the National Reading Society of Ljubljana or-
ganized more than 100 recitals (bésede), often featuring the compositions of
31 Darja Koter, “Pevski zbori in glasbena društva,” in Zgodovina glasbe na Slovenskem
III, ed. Aleš Nagode and Nataša Cigoj Krstulović (Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filo-
zofske fakultete and Založba ZRC, 2021), 80, https://doi.org/10.4312/9789610605270.
32 Jernej Weiss, Češki glasbeniki v 19. in na začetku 20. stoletja na Slovenskem, 144–6.
33 Koter, “Pevski zbori in glasbena društva,” in Zgodovina glasbe na Slovenskem III, 83.
34 Weiss, Češki glasbeniki, 148.
35 Koter, “Pevski zbori in glasbena društva,” 83–4.
345
