Page 367 - 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 ...
dition of Prague Conservatory graduates was continued with Václav En-
gerer (1880–?),136 who came to Celje from Zagreb, where he was a military
bandmaster and private music teacher. Musical development declined
sharply with the outbreak of the First World War, mainly due to the ab-
sence of many young musicians who had been mobilized and the lack of an
underclass that could be trained in this situation. In 1915, Lovrenc Kubišta
(1863–1931)137 moved to Celje upon his escape from Gorizia and was initially
a violin teacher at the Celje Music Association, and then at the Music Soci-
ety. After the end of the war, the music situation also changed radically, be-
cause many important musicians who had once played significant roles in
Celje’s musical life departed. After the war, one of the last musicians from
Bohemia, Kubišta, taught at the school and led the municipal brass band.
The 1920s were marked by the arrival of the Sancin brothers and the begin-
ning of the dominance of local musicians in Celje.
Musical life in Celje in the nineteenth century was dominated by im-
migrant musicians. By the end of the First World War, more than 40 im-
migrant musicians worked in the Celje Music Association and paved the
way for the development of music in the city. They came from Austrian,
Czech, and German geographical areas. They received their music educa-
tions in Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, and Prague. Many immigrant musicians
moved between the Styrian music associations in Celje, Graz, Maribor, and
Ptuj. Under their direction, the orchestra and the association gave one or
more symphonic concerts each year with works ranging from classical to
contemporary composers. Overtures to well-known operas were often per-
formed, as well as solo pieces for violin. In larger symphonic performances,
Danijel, sig. 5299, Sterbebuch 1906–1914, fol. 658; Zupančič, “The influx of Bohemi-
an violinists,” 272.
136 Engerer was born on 13 December 1880 in Zbraslav (CZ). He studied trombone at
the Prague Conservatory between 1894 and 1900. See: Archiv hlavního města Prahy,
Pražská konzervatoř, Matrik 1879–[1913], sig. D81, fol. 39.
137 Lovrenc Kubišta was born in 1863 to Czech parents near Bratislava. After studying
at the Paulis Military Music School in Prague, where he was a violin student of An-
tonín Bennewitz, he worked as a composer, violinist, and assistant to the music di-
rector of the military band, and as a member of the Kolo Choral Society in Zagreb.
In 1900 he moved to Postojna, where he directed an orchestra, a brass band and two
choirs, and taught piano, violin and all string and wind instruments. In 1909 he
moved to Gorizia, where he was a teacher at the music society and directed several
bands in the area. In 1915 he fled from Gorizia to Celje to work first in the Celje Mu-
sic Association and then until 1922/23 in the Slovenian Music Society. There he was
also bandmaster and wrote numerous arrangements of folk songs until his death in
1933. See: Zupančič, “The influx of Bohemian violinists,” 272, 274, 282.
365
dition of Prague Conservatory graduates was continued with Václav En-
gerer (1880–?),136 who came to Celje from Zagreb, where he was a military
bandmaster and private music teacher. Musical development declined
sharply with the outbreak of the First World War, mainly due to the ab-
sence of many young musicians who had been mobilized and the lack of an
underclass that could be trained in this situation. In 1915, Lovrenc Kubišta
(1863–1931)137 moved to Celje upon his escape from Gorizia and was initially
a violin teacher at the Celje Music Association, and then at the Music Soci-
ety. After the end of the war, the music situation also changed radically, be-
cause many important musicians who had once played significant roles in
Celje’s musical life departed. After the war, one of the last musicians from
Bohemia, Kubišta, taught at the school and led the municipal brass band.
The 1920s were marked by the arrival of the Sancin brothers and the begin-
ning of the dominance of local musicians in Celje.
Musical life in Celje in the nineteenth century was dominated by im-
migrant musicians. By the end of the First World War, more than 40 im-
migrant musicians worked in the Celje Music Association and paved the
way for the development of music in the city. They came from Austrian,
Czech, and German geographical areas. They received their music educa-
tions in Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, and Prague. Many immigrant musicians
moved between the Styrian music associations in Celje, Graz, Maribor, and
Ptuj. Under their direction, the orchestra and the association gave one or
more symphonic concerts each year with works ranging from classical to
contemporary composers. Overtures to well-known operas were often per-
formed, as well as solo pieces for violin. In larger symphonic performances,
Danijel, sig. 5299, Sterbebuch 1906–1914, fol. 658; Zupančič, “The influx of Bohemi-
an violinists,” 272.
136 Engerer was born on 13 December 1880 in Zbraslav (CZ). He studied trombone at
the Prague Conservatory between 1894 and 1900. See: Archiv hlavního města Prahy,
Pražská konzervatoř, Matrik 1879–[1913], sig. D81, fol. 39.
137 Lovrenc Kubišta was born in 1863 to Czech parents near Bratislava. After studying
at the Paulis Military Music School in Prague, where he was a violin student of An-
tonín Bennewitz, he worked as a composer, violinist, and assistant to the music di-
rector of the military band, and as a member of the Kolo Choral Society in Zagreb.
In 1900 he moved to Postojna, where he directed an orchestra, a brass band and two
choirs, and taught piano, violin and all string and wind instruments. In 1909 he
moved to Gorizia, where he was a teacher at the music society and directed several
bands in the area. In 1915 he fled from Gorizia to Celje to work first in the Celje Mu-
sic Association and then until 1922/23 in the Slovenian Music Society. There he was
also bandmaster and wrote numerous arrangements of folk songs until his death in
1933. See: Zupančič, “The influx of Bohemian violinists,” 272, 274, 282.
365
