Page 291 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2017. Glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti - Musical Migrations: Crossroads of European Musical Diversity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 1
P. 291
bankers, medical doctors, teachers, priests, musicians, all czechs, kind gentlefolk ...”
at the end of the 18th century10. Czech musicians had occupied practically
all available music positions in their homeland, and were on many occa-
sions forced to embark on an uncertain journey abroad. It is therefore not
surprising that the Slovene lands were becoming all the more inviting for
them due to the establishment of newly formed music societies (Dramat-
ic Society, Music Society, Cecilian Society, and others) in the 1860s and
1870s. Another area of music that began to grow intensively in the Slovene
lands under the influence of newly established reading societies and oth-
er occasional events in the 1860s was music composition. In particular the
so-called “bésede” or social events organised by reading societies – Slo-
vene patriots found their model in the Czech lands – greatly expanded op-
portunities for performing Slovenian compositions in the early 1860s, and
stimulated more intensive musical creativity among Czech musicians in
the Slovene lands as well.
Yet Czech musicians were not only attracted to the Slovene lands be-
cause of the opportunities for more permanent employment. Many of them
came as guest soloists, instrumentalists and other performers and teach-
ers who worked here for a limited period of time and, for the most part,
did not contribute significantly to Slovenian music culture. One of the rea-
sons why some of them decided to remain in the Slovene lands and can-
not be entirely disregarded are the personal decisions of individuals, such
as marriage (and matters of the heart). Another motive for the arrival of
Czech musicians in the Slovene lands was undoubtedly the same regulato-
ry framework within the Habsburg Monarchy, which provided Czech mi-
grants with certain pension-related benefits and allowed the postponement
of military service (which they would have lost outside the Habsburg Mon-
archy). Of course one cannot overlook the similarities between the Czech
and Slovene languages, which enabled Czech migrants to integrate relative-
ly quickly into the predominantly Slavic-speaking Slovenian environment.
Czech musicians in the first half of the 19th century
in the Slovene lands
The increasing numbers of Czech musicians arriving in the Slovene lands
had been observed as early as in the first half of the 19th century. There are
two fundamental areas (musical performance and education) in which
they contributed significantly to the advancement of Slovene music cul-
10 Mikuláš Bek, Konzervatoř Evropy? K sociolgii české hudebnosti (Praha: Koniasch
Latin Press, 2003).
289
at the end of the 18th century10. Czech musicians had occupied practically
all available music positions in their homeland, and were on many occa-
sions forced to embark on an uncertain journey abroad. It is therefore not
surprising that the Slovene lands were becoming all the more inviting for
them due to the establishment of newly formed music societies (Dramat-
ic Society, Music Society, Cecilian Society, and others) in the 1860s and
1870s. Another area of music that began to grow intensively in the Slovene
lands under the influence of newly established reading societies and oth-
er occasional events in the 1860s was music composition. In particular the
so-called “bésede” or social events organised by reading societies – Slo-
vene patriots found their model in the Czech lands – greatly expanded op-
portunities for performing Slovenian compositions in the early 1860s, and
stimulated more intensive musical creativity among Czech musicians in
the Slovene lands as well.
Yet Czech musicians were not only attracted to the Slovene lands be-
cause of the opportunities for more permanent employment. Many of them
came as guest soloists, instrumentalists and other performers and teach-
ers who worked here for a limited period of time and, for the most part,
did not contribute significantly to Slovenian music culture. One of the rea-
sons why some of them decided to remain in the Slovene lands and can-
not be entirely disregarded are the personal decisions of individuals, such
as marriage (and matters of the heart). Another motive for the arrival of
Czech musicians in the Slovene lands was undoubtedly the same regulato-
ry framework within the Habsburg Monarchy, which provided Czech mi-
grants with certain pension-related benefits and allowed the postponement
of military service (which they would have lost outside the Habsburg Mon-
archy). Of course one cannot overlook the similarities between the Czech
and Slovene languages, which enabled Czech migrants to integrate relative-
ly quickly into the predominantly Slavic-speaking Slovenian environment.
Czech musicians in the first half of the 19th century
in the Slovene lands
The increasing numbers of Czech musicians arriving in the Slovene lands
had been observed as early as in the first half of the 19th century. There are
two fundamental areas (musical performance and education) in which
they contributed significantly to the advancement of Slovene music cul-
10 Mikuláš Bek, Konzervatoř Evropy? K sociolgii české hudebnosti (Praha: Koniasch
Latin Press, 2003).
289
