Page 116 - 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
P. 116
glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes | music criticism – yesterday and today
An interesting comparison was arrived at by B. Lvovský after Bottesini’s
death. Some concert audiences preferred Bottesini’s playing because he
used a salon double bass, equipped with weak strings. Simandl, howev-
er, used an instrument of normal construction and strings (from 1893
he played a Maggini instrument) and yet, in the view of those who had
the opportunity to hear both virtuosos in the same works, Simandl
surpassed Bottesini in power and beauty of tone and in wonderful
technique.54
German scene in Vienna
Lvovský debuted in Vienna as a composer, a double bass player and a pi-
ano accompanist at the end of 1890. He and Simandl performed at the same
concerts, and it is possible that it was Simandl who helped Lvovský to es-
tablish himself. The singer Emma Vogl performed his songs and he accom-
panied her on the piano:
– 25 October 1890, concert (Hotel Union): Gesellschafts-Abend der
Kirchenmusik-Vereines a. d. Votivkirche (Hotel Union),55
– 8 November 1890, concert (Zum wilden Mann, Währing),56
– 28 November 1890, G. Kühle’s concert (Saal Ehrbar),57
Emma Vogl, Anna Nováková, Anna Vogl, Emma Nováková, Emma/
Emmi Vogl, Anette Novák – all these are different forms of the name of a
singer who, together with F. Simandl and violinist R. Harzer, belonged to
the circle of Lvovský’s closest friends and fellow players. She was de facto
his “favourite singer”. We know her concert dates and repertoire, but not
her detailed biography. In 1893 she was a member of the Imperial and Roy-
al Court Opera, performing both on the German and Slavic music scene in
Vienna. According to the entry in Josef Srb-Debrnov’s dictionary, she was
born in Prague.58
So far there is no indication that Lvovský was trying to break into the
German music scene in Vienna as a performer or composer. He was part
of it, but in the role of journalist. He also had time to inform German read-
ers about Czech music: both in a general sense and about events in Bohe-
54 Jan Kment, Nejhlubší z rodu smyčců. Dějiny a literatura kontrabasu (Praha: Su-
praphon, 1988), 88–9.
55 G. K. [Gustav Kühle], “Vereinskonzerte,” ÖMTZ 3, no. 3 (1 November 1890): 5.
56 G. K. [Gustav Kühle], “Vereinskonzerte,” ÖMTZ 3, no. 4 (15 November 1890): 7.
57 Anon., “Saal Ehrbar,” ÖMTZ 4, no. 5 (December 1891): 8.
58 Srb-Debrnov, Slovník hudebních umělců slovanských.
116
An interesting comparison was arrived at by B. Lvovský after Bottesini’s
death. Some concert audiences preferred Bottesini’s playing because he
used a salon double bass, equipped with weak strings. Simandl, howev-
er, used an instrument of normal construction and strings (from 1893
he played a Maggini instrument) and yet, in the view of those who had
the opportunity to hear both virtuosos in the same works, Simandl
surpassed Bottesini in power and beauty of tone and in wonderful
technique.54
German scene in Vienna
Lvovský debuted in Vienna as a composer, a double bass player and a pi-
ano accompanist at the end of 1890. He and Simandl performed at the same
concerts, and it is possible that it was Simandl who helped Lvovský to es-
tablish himself. The singer Emma Vogl performed his songs and he accom-
panied her on the piano:
– 25 October 1890, concert (Hotel Union): Gesellschafts-Abend der
Kirchenmusik-Vereines a. d. Votivkirche (Hotel Union),55
– 8 November 1890, concert (Zum wilden Mann, Währing),56
– 28 November 1890, G. Kühle’s concert (Saal Ehrbar),57
Emma Vogl, Anna Nováková, Anna Vogl, Emma Nováková, Emma/
Emmi Vogl, Anette Novák – all these are different forms of the name of a
singer who, together with F. Simandl and violinist R. Harzer, belonged to
the circle of Lvovský’s closest friends and fellow players. She was de facto
his “favourite singer”. We know her concert dates and repertoire, but not
her detailed biography. In 1893 she was a member of the Imperial and Roy-
al Court Opera, performing both on the German and Slavic music scene in
Vienna. According to the entry in Josef Srb-Debrnov’s dictionary, she was
born in Prague.58
So far there is no indication that Lvovský was trying to break into the
German music scene in Vienna as a performer or composer. He was part
of it, but in the role of journalist. He also had time to inform German read-
ers about Czech music: both in a general sense and about events in Bohe-
54 Jan Kment, Nejhlubší z rodu smyčců. Dějiny a literatura kontrabasu (Praha: Su-
praphon, 1988), 88–9.
55 G. K. [Gustav Kühle], “Vereinskonzerte,” ÖMTZ 3, no. 3 (1 November 1890): 5.
56 G. K. [Gustav Kühle], “Vereinskonzerte,” ÖMTZ 3, no. 4 (15 November 1890): 7.
57 Anon., “Saal Ehrbar,” ÖMTZ 4, no. 5 (December 1891): 8.
58 Srb-Debrnov, Slovník hudebních umělců slovanských.
116
