Page 107 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2024. Glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes ▪︎ Music Criticism – Yesterday and Today. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 7
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e. b. lvovský or who was the harshest viennese cr itic of antonín dvoř ák’s music
came his teacher. Without that education he would not have been able to get
a position as a teacher at the Lviv Conservatory.
Sandra McColl suggests (perhaps music oriented) studying in Prague:
Lvovský, who was born and educated in Prague, is probably the most
consistently modern in his musical taste, independent of the ideological
underpinning of German-nationalist inspired Wagnerism.16
The phrase “Prof. Lvovský” appears for the first time probably in Octo-
ber 1892 in the Czech music periodical Dalibor. The correctness of the aca-
demic title can be doubted: Christo Vasilev, the author of the report on the
concert in Bulgaria, apparently only believed that Lvovský was a professor.17
However, it caught on, probably reflecting Lvovský’s private teaching activ-
ities and perhaps also those at the Lviv Conservatory, where he worked as
“a professor of double bass.” Žižka leaves the activities undated;18 B. Štědroň
mentions the period 1884–1890;19 Josef Srb-Debrnov20 and the almanac Das
geistige Wien (1893)21 state a shorter period (1888–1890).
Religion, race – L. K. Žižka suggests in his memoirs that Pick was a
Jew: “His real name being Pick, he could not deny his race with his face,
but he was a Czech by heart and conviction, and a musician to the core.”22
Lvovský was also mentioned in an article that mapped the Jewish-owned
press.23 His marriage documentation (1879, he was 22) says “without reli-
gion;” we know from another document, dated 30 July 1890, that he joined
the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession.
Nationality, linguistic affiliation – Lvovský is often described as
a Prague German, but like Smetana he merged with Czech cultural life.
L. K. Žižka wrote the following: “He was not used to Czech, so he spoke slowly
and quietly, as if he was not to be heard, repeating some disobedient words.”24
16 McColl, “New music and the press,” 32.
17 Christo Vasilev, “Z Ruščuku,” Dalibor 15, no. 42–43 (14 October 1893): 340.
18 Žižka, Mistři a mistříčkové, 87.
19 Štědroň, “Lvovský, Břetislav,” 851.
20 Srb-Debrnov, Slovník hudebních umělců slovanských.
21 Eisenberg, Das geistige Wien, 333.
22 Žižka, Mistři a mistříčkové, 87.
23 Anon., “Weitere Beispiele aus der jüdischen Pressherschaft,” Der Volksfreund 1,
no. 15 (20 February 1913): 4. It contains the information that the Neue musikali-
sche Presse is edited by Lvovský (Lemberger). Anon., “Die ungeheure Macht der Ju-
denpresse,” Österreichische Volkszeitung 41, no. 7 (14 February 1913): 11. The same
information.
24 Žižka, Mistři a mistříčkové, 87.
107
came his teacher. Without that education he would not have been able to get
a position as a teacher at the Lviv Conservatory.
Sandra McColl suggests (perhaps music oriented) studying in Prague:
Lvovský, who was born and educated in Prague, is probably the most
consistently modern in his musical taste, independent of the ideological
underpinning of German-nationalist inspired Wagnerism.16
The phrase “Prof. Lvovský” appears for the first time probably in Octo-
ber 1892 in the Czech music periodical Dalibor. The correctness of the aca-
demic title can be doubted: Christo Vasilev, the author of the report on the
concert in Bulgaria, apparently only believed that Lvovský was a professor.17
However, it caught on, probably reflecting Lvovský’s private teaching activ-
ities and perhaps also those at the Lviv Conservatory, where he worked as
“a professor of double bass.” Žižka leaves the activities undated;18 B. Štědroň
mentions the period 1884–1890;19 Josef Srb-Debrnov20 and the almanac Das
geistige Wien (1893)21 state a shorter period (1888–1890).
Religion, race – L. K. Žižka suggests in his memoirs that Pick was a
Jew: “His real name being Pick, he could not deny his race with his face,
but he was a Czech by heart and conviction, and a musician to the core.”22
Lvovský was also mentioned in an article that mapped the Jewish-owned
press.23 His marriage documentation (1879, he was 22) says “without reli-
gion;” we know from another document, dated 30 July 1890, that he joined
the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession.
Nationality, linguistic affiliation – Lvovský is often described as
a Prague German, but like Smetana he merged with Czech cultural life.
L. K. Žižka wrote the following: “He was not used to Czech, so he spoke slowly
and quietly, as if he was not to be heard, repeating some disobedient words.”24
16 McColl, “New music and the press,” 32.
17 Christo Vasilev, “Z Ruščuku,” Dalibor 15, no. 42–43 (14 October 1893): 340.
18 Žižka, Mistři a mistříčkové, 87.
19 Štědroň, “Lvovský, Břetislav,” 851.
20 Srb-Debrnov, Slovník hudebních umělců slovanských.
21 Eisenberg, Das geistige Wien, 333.
22 Žižka, Mistři a mistříčkové, 87.
23 Anon., “Weitere Beispiele aus der jüdischen Pressherschaft,” Der Volksfreund 1,
no. 15 (20 February 1913): 4. It contains the information that the Neue musikali-
sche Presse is edited by Lvovský (Lemberger). Anon., “Die ungeheure Macht der Ju-
denpresse,” Österreichische Volkszeitung 41, no. 7 (14 February 1913): 11. The same
information.
24 Žižka, Mistři a mistříčkové, 87.
107
