Page 294 - 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. 294
glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti
establishment and later functioning of reading societies in Ljubljana, Tri-
este and Maribor. It would also be difficult to speak of the beginnings and
later activities of the Dramatic Society, the Music Society in Ljubljana and
the Cecilian Society without Anton Foerster, who undoubtedly played a key
role in these institutions. The qualitative rise of one of the central music
institutions in the Slovene lands, the Philharmonic Society in Ljubljana,
is entirely unimaginable without its Czech director, Anton Nedvěd, who
during his directorship from 1858 to 1883 essentially contributed to the soci-
ety’s functioning in the areas of musical performance and music education.
Mention should also be made of the highly significant institutional endeav-
ours of Czech musicians in church music and in the beginnings of the Ce-
cilian movement in the Slovene lands. In particular Anton Foerster, much
like Peregrin Manich in Maribor, strongly reformed the church music ac-
tivities of the Ljubljana Cathedral as its regens chori. Likewise at the begin-
ning of the 20th century, when the tendencies towards the establishment and
functioning of a professional orchestra such as the Slovenian Philharmon-
ic Orchestra could hardly have appeared without the engagement of Czech
musicians such as Václav Talich, later conductor of the Czech and Slovak
Philharmonic and longtime professor of conducting at the Prague Con-
servatory, and Ciril Metoděj Hrazdira, conductor of the first performance
of Janáček’s Jenůfa (1904). Since more than half of the original members of
the orchestra were Czech musicians, it is not surprising that it was soon la-
belled the second Czech Philharmonic. In the 1890s and the early 20th cen-
tury, these Czech conductors performed, together with the chief conduc-
tor and impresario of the Ljubljana Opera, the Czech Hilarion Beníšek, at
practically all the musical stage productions of the main Slovenian opera
institution, the Slovenian Provincial Theatre.
The 19th and early 20th centuries were, not only in the area of musical
performance, but also in music education, marked by the absolute domina-
tion of Czech musicians in the Slovene lands. Undoubtedly worth mention-
ing is the influence of the violin school of Antonín Bennewitz in Prague and
his pupil, Otakar Ševčík.16 That is because many of his pupils taught in Slo-
venia. One of the most prominent among them was Hans Gerstner, a Ger-
man of Czech origin and a longtime teacher, concert master, and the last di-
rector of Ljubljana’s Philharmonic Society. Similarly, in practically all other
teaching institutions it was the Czech musicians who managed to create a
16 Maruša Zupančič, Razvoj violinske pedagogike in šolstva na Slovenskem od začetka
19. stoletja do začetka druge svetovne vojne (Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske
fakultete, 2013).
292
establishment and later functioning of reading societies in Ljubljana, Tri-
este and Maribor. It would also be difficult to speak of the beginnings and
later activities of the Dramatic Society, the Music Society in Ljubljana and
the Cecilian Society without Anton Foerster, who undoubtedly played a key
role in these institutions. The qualitative rise of one of the central music
institutions in the Slovene lands, the Philharmonic Society in Ljubljana,
is entirely unimaginable without its Czech director, Anton Nedvěd, who
during his directorship from 1858 to 1883 essentially contributed to the soci-
ety’s functioning in the areas of musical performance and music education.
Mention should also be made of the highly significant institutional endeav-
ours of Czech musicians in church music and in the beginnings of the Ce-
cilian movement in the Slovene lands. In particular Anton Foerster, much
like Peregrin Manich in Maribor, strongly reformed the church music ac-
tivities of the Ljubljana Cathedral as its regens chori. Likewise at the begin-
ning of the 20th century, when the tendencies towards the establishment and
functioning of a professional orchestra such as the Slovenian Philharmon-
ic Orchestra could hardly have appeared without the engagement of Czech
musicians such as Václav Talich, later conductor of the Czech and Slovak
Philharmonic and longtime professor of conducting at the Prague Con-
servatory, and Ciril Metoděj Hrazdira, conductor of the first performance
of Janáček’s Jenůfa (1904). Since more than half of the original members of
the orchestra were Czech musicians, it is not surprising that it was soon la-
belled the second Czech Philharmonic. In the 1890s and the early 20th cen-
tury, these Czech conductors performed, together with the chief conduc-
tor and impresario of the Ljubljana Opera, the Czech Hilarion Beníšek, at
practically all the musical stage productions of the main Slovenian opera
institution, the Slovenian Provincial Theatre.
The 19th and early 20th centuries were, not only in the area of musical
performance, but also in music education, marked by the absolute domina-
tion of Czech musicians in the Slovene lands. Undoubtedly worth mention-
ing is the influence of the violin school of Antonín Bennewitz in Prague and
his pupil, Otakar Ševčík.16 That is because many of his pupils taught in Slo-
venia. One of the most prominent among them was Hans Gerstner, a Ger-
man of Czech origin and a longtime teacher, concert master, and the last di-
rector of Ljubljana’s Philharmonic Society. Similarly, in practically all other
teaching institutions it was the Czech musicians who managed to create a
16 Maruša Zupančič, Razvoj violinske pedagogike in šolstva na Slovenskem od začetka
19. stoletja do začetka druge svetovne vojne (Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske
fakultete, 2013).
292
