Page 405 - 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
P. 405
the mer it of czech musicians for the r evival of the musical her itage of jacobus ...
to organise the concert. Thus, the Board of Glasbena matica asked Mantu-
ani in a letter for “all the notes of [his] work”17, but Mantuani refused the re-
quest because it had not been completed at that time. Mantuani wrote: “If
they want to be known as musicians, we must first know them, or at least
know that they exist.”18 He also suggested to the Board that they perform
the six already mentioned shorter compositions by Gallus, and asked them
to “kindly oblige the illustrious Board to put up with me until the autumn,
when I return from Germany and bring Gallus’s Madrigals with me.”19 He
added: “There are few who know that Gallus also wrote Madrigals.”20 Gal-
lus famously called his madrigals moralia, not madrigalia – for the title was
intended to emphasise that they were Latin madrigals without secular ele-
ments, “not in the least licentious, fearing the shadow of obscenity.”21 Writing
madrigals, as we know from the example of Gallus’s better-known contem-
porary Palestrina, could be a dangerous business. That knowledge of Gal-
lus must have been limited at the beginning of the 1890s is also shown by
a letter from Glasbena matica to Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, in
which the board of Matica asks the famous Viennese institution for “some
Gallus opus from its archive.”22 This was followed by a letter from Vienna
mentioning some of Gallus’s works kept there and a referral to Mantuani.23
The above-mentioned letter from Mantuani is important because it
shows that the idea of organising a celebration for the 300th anniversary
of Gallus’s death actually came from him. He himself writes that it was
“voiced by him five years ago.”24 In addition to selecting the repertoire, Man-
tuani also transcribed the sheet music for the Matica concert in “modern
clefs”25, a notation that is transparent and understandable today, and gave
an introductory presentation by the composer. In his presentation, Mantu-
17 Josip Mantuani, “Pismo odboru Glasbene matice,” July 8, 1890. Musical collection
NUK, GALLUS, J., Kronika, Arhive of Glasbena matica.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Edo Škulj, ed., Gallusovi predgovori in drugi dokumenti (Ljubljana: Družina, 1991),
90.
22 Odbor Glasbene matice, “Dopis Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde,” April 24, 1890.
Musical collection NUK, GALLUS, J., Kronika, Arhive of Glasbena matica.
23 Direction der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, “Dopis odboru Glasbene mati-
ce,” April 29, 1890, no. 119. Musical collection NUK, GALLUS, J., Kronika, Arhive
of Glasbena matica.
24 Josip Mantuani, “Pismo odboru Glasbene matice,” July 8, 1890.
25 Ibid.
403
to organise the concert. Thus, the Board of Glasbena matica asked Mantu-
ani in a letter for “all the notes of [his] work”17, but Mantuani refused the re-
quest because it had not been completed at that time. Mantuani wrote: “If
they want to be known as musicians, we must first know them, or at least
know that they exist.”18 He also suggested to the Board that they perform
the six already mentioned shorter compositions by Gallus, and asked them
to “kindly oblige the illustrious Board to put up with me until the autumn,
when I return from Germany and bring Gallus’s Madrigals with me.”19 He
added: “There are few who know that Gallus also wrote Madrigals.”20 Gal-
lus famously called his madrigals moralia, not madrigalia – for the title was
intended to emphasise that they were Latin madrigals without secular ele-
ments, “not in the least licentious, fearing the shadow of obscenity.”21 Writing
madrigals, as we know from the example of Gallus’s better-known contem-
porary Palestrina, could be a dangerous business. That knowledge of Gal-
lus must have been limited at the beginning of the 1890s is also shown by
a letter from Glasbena matica to Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, in
which the board of Matica asks the famous Viennese institution for “some
Gallus opus from its archive.”22 This was followed by a letter from Vienna
mentioning some of Gallus’s works kept there and a referral to Mantuani.23
The above-mentioned letter from Mantuani is important because it
shows that the idea of organising a celebration for the 300th anniversary
of Gallus’s death actually came from him. He himself writes that it was
“voiced by him five years ago.”24 In addition to selecting the repertoire, Man-
tuani also transcribed the sheet music for the Matica concert in “modern
clefs”25, a notation that is transparent and understandable today, and gave
an introductory presentation by the composer. In his presentation, Mantu-
17 Josip Mantuani, “Pismo odboru Glasbene matice,” July 8, 1890. Musical collection
NUK, GALLUS, J., Kronika, Arhive of Glasbena matica.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Edo Škulj, ed., Gallusovi predgovori in drugi dokumenti (Ljubljana: Družina, 1991),
90.
22 Odbor Glasbene matice, “Dopis Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde,” April 24, 1890.
Musical collection NUK, GALLUS, J., Kronika, Arhive of Glasbena matica.
23 Direction der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, “Dopis odboru Glasbene mati-
ce,” April 29, 1890, no. 119. Musical collection NUK, GALLUS, J., Kronika, Arhive
of Glasbena matica.
24 Josip Mantuani, “Pismo odboru Glasbene matice,” July 8, 1890.
25 Ibid.
403
