Page 413 - 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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alfred khom, a diligent choirmaster, skilful composer and experienced musician ...
ditions, was done with great caution. Fear of growing tensions and the au-
thorities’ distrust of new associations led to the tactical decision to appoint
the aged Casper Harm11 as the first choir director when the association was
founded. With Harm, the society became associated with the old Music So-
ciety (Musikverein), and Khom, regardless of his merits, was appointed as
the second choir director.12
Khom also worked with Harm as a teacher at the music school of the
Music Society for Carinthia (Musikverein für Kärnten),13 but there was more
and more friction between them. As a result, both resigned as directors of
the male choir.14 Harm did so for a short time and later actually directed
the Klagenfurt Men’s Choral Society with minor interruptions until 1863.
Khom left both the choir and Klagenfurt and went to Ljubljana.
Despite the aforementioned difficulties he faced, Khom work in Carin-
thia represented for a long time his important professional reference.15 At
the same time, his merits in Carinthia were by no means forgotten, for the
Klagenfurt Men’s Choral Society later appointed him an honorary member
and awarded “its founder” Khom “a tastefully and appropriately designed
honorary diploma and sent him a flattering letter,” according to a report in
the Laibacher Zeitung.16 Significant is the fact that this happened in 1863, at
a time when the choir ended its collaboration with Harm.
11 Harm, Caspar (1808–1864) was a well-known Carinthian music teacher and choir
director. From 1828 he was a music teacher at the Musikverein in Klagenfurt, then
went (1832–35) to Innsbruck and returned to Klagenfurt in 1835, where in 1847 he
became the first choirmaster of the Klagenfurt Männergesangverein, which he di-
rected with minor interruptions until 1863. Elisabeth Th. Hilscher, “Harm, Caspar,”
Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon online, April 25, 2003, https://www.musiklexikon.
ac.at/ml/musik_H/Harm_Caspar.xml.
12 Gotbert Moro and Ambros Wilhelmer, Zur Musikgeschichte Kärntens (Klagenfurt:
Verlag des Landesmuseums für Kärnten, 1956), 115.
13 Antesberger, Klagenfurter Musikleben, 100.
14 Moro and Wilhelmer, Zur Musikgeschichte Kärntens, 116.
15 Observations about his activities in Ljubljana are regularly accompanied by remarks
that he is an experienced musician who has established himself as the choirmaster of
the male choir in Klagenfurt.
16 “Der Männergesangverein von Klagenfurt hat seinen Gründer, Herrn Alfred Khom,
Gesang-Lehrer beim Grazer Musikverein, für seine Verdienste um den Verein zum
Ehrenmitglied ernannt und ihm ein geschmackvoll und sinnig gearbeitetes Ehren
diplom mit einer schmeichelhaften Zuschrift übersandt.” Anon., “Tagesbericht:
Wien, 11. Juni,” Laibacher Zeitung, no. 131 (12 June 1863): 521, http://www.dlib.
si/?URN=URN:NBN:SI:doc-HPZ7O34S.
411
ditions, was done with great caution. Fear of growing tensions and the au-
thorities’ distrust of new associations led to the tactical decision to appoint
the aged Casper Harm11 as the first choir director when the association was
founded. With Harm, the society became associated with the old Music So-
ciety (Musikverein), and Khom, regardless of his merits, was appointed as
the second choir director.12
Khom also worked with Harm as a teacher at the music school of the
Music Society for Carinthia (Musikverein für Kärnten),13 but there was more
and more friction between them. As a result, both resigned as directors of
the male choir.14 Harm did so for a short time and later actually directed
the Klagenfurt Men’s Choral Society with minor interruptions until 1863.
Khom left both the choir and Klagenfurt and went to Ljubljana.
Despite the aforementioned difficulties he faced, Khom work in Carin-
thia represented for a long time his important professional reference.15 At
the same time, his merits in Carinthia were by no means forgotten, for the
Klagenfurt Men’s Choral Society later appointed him an honorary member
and awarded “its founder” Khom “a tastefully and appropriately designed
honorary diploma and sent him a flattering letter,” according to a report in
the Laibacher Zeitung.16 Significant is the fact that this happened in 1863, at
a time when the choir ended its collaboration with Harm.
11 Harm, Caspar (1808–1864) was a well-known Carinthian music teacher and choir
director. From 1828 he was a music teacher at the Musikverein in Klagenfurt, then
went (1832–35) to Innsbruck and returned to Klagenfurt in 1835, where in 1847 he
became the first choirmaster of the Klagenfurt Männergesangverein, which he di-
rected with minor interruptions until 1863. Elisabeth Th. Hilscher, “Harm, Caspar,”
Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon online, April 25, 2003, https://www.musiklexikon.
ac.at/ml/musik_H/Harm_Caspar.xml.
12 Gotbert Moro and Ambros Wilhelmer, Zur Musikgeschichte Kärntens (Klagenfurt:
Verlag des Landesmuseums für Kärnten, 1956), 115.
13 Antesberger, Klagenfurter Musikleben, 100.
14 Moro and Wilhelmer, Zur Musikgeschichte Kärntens, 116.
15 Observations about his activities in Ljubljana are regularly accompanied by remarks
that he is an experienced musician who has established himself as the choirmaster of
the male choir in Klagenfurt.
16 “Der Männergesangverein von Klagenfurt hat seinen Gründer, Herrn Alfred Khom,
Gesang-Lehrer beim Grazer Musikverein, für seine Verdienste um den Verein zum
Ehrenmitglied ernannt und ihm ein geschmackvoll und sinnig gearbeitetes Ehren
diplom mit einer schmeichelhaften Zuschrift übersandt.” Anon., “Tagesbericht:
Wien, 11. Juni,” Laibacher Zeitung, no. 131 (12 June 1863): 521, http://www.dlib.
si/?URN=URN:NBN:SI:doc-HPZ7O34S.
411
