Music, the Mail, and Ephemera

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 5, 1866

Bedřich Smetana's first opera "Branibori v Cechach" ("The Brandenburgers in Bohemia") premieres in Prague.

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 6, 1838

Max Bruch born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1920).

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 7, 1899

Francis Poulenc born in Paris, France (d. 1963).

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 8, 1705

George Frideric Handel's 1st opera "Almira" premieres in Hamburg.

[Papy Oli]

Here's to another year, Tony, full of those interesting stamps and envelopes

[Szykneij]

Here's to another year, Tony, full of those interesting stamps and envelopes

Thanks, Olivier!

Only four more days until 1/12, the anniversary of my first "Today in Music Post". I'm not sure it's possible to go around again, but I'm happy you found the posts of interest.

[MusicTurner]

It's been an entertaining feature so far for sure!

[Szykneij]

It's been an entertaining feature so far for sure!

Thanks - Glad to know it was of interest.

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 9, 1927

2 Pieces for String Octet (opus 11) by Dmitri Shostakovich' premieres in Moscow.

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 10, 1833

Felix Mendelssohn's cantata "Die erste Walpurgisnacht" premieres in Berlin.

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 11, 1856

Christian Sinding born in Konsberg, Norway (d. 1941).

[Szykneij]

*This Day in Music History*
January 12

Well, that's a year gone by! My first "This Day in Music History" post was on January 12, 2021, so we've come full circle. The daily entries are over, but I'll still try to post relevant items I come across from time to time. Thanks to those who found this thread of interest. Hopefully, it provided a nice diversion from life's less pleasant concerns.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

*This Day in Music History*
January 12

Well, that's a year gone by! My first "This Day in Music History" post was on January 12, 2021, so we've come full circle. The daily entries are over, but I'll still try to post relevant items I come across from time to time. Thanks to those who found this thread of interest. Hopefully, it provided a nice diversion from life's less pleasant concerns.

It certainly did!  And thank you so much for doing it Tony! 

PD

[Iota]

Thanks, Tony! A very interesting and enjoyable thread! 

[Szykneij]

I recently came across this postcard picturing the building in Spillville, Iowa, that Antonin Dvořák lived in for 3 months during the summer of 1893.

Dvořák had moved to New York City in 1892 to become director of the National Conservatory of Music of America. Weary of his big city surroundings, he found Spillville more to his liking. It had a small population of mostly Czech immigrants and an environment similar to that of his home back in Bohemia. Here he composed his String Quartets No. 3 in E-flat Major and No. 12 in F Major and finished writing his New World Symphony (No. 9). 

There's some interesting background here:
Dvořák in Iowa | Iowa PBS Explores | Iowa PBS


The postcard is an RPPC (Real Photo Postcard) example that was produced by developing a negative onto photo paper with a pre-printed postcard backing. It is unused and undated, but I believe it was printed during the late 1940s era shortly after the Bily Clocks Museum was opened in the building.

[Szykneij]

This is a more recent (1968) postcard picturing the Bily Museum. The Dvořák exhibit is located on the second floor, the level the Dvořák family occupied 1893.

[Szykneij]

This postcard features a portrait of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and was included in an assortment of music-related items. While Goethe wasn't a composer, his work inspired numerous composers to set his poems to music (including Richard Wagner), so the item has a fitting place in a music collection. But I'm wondering if it possesses even greater significance. I don't speak German and the handwriting on the back of the card is difficult to decipher, but I can make out that it was mailed from Bayreuth on April 19, 1922.

The Bayreuth Festival was on hiatus at that point in time. An article in the February, 1923 edition of Etude Magazine announced "The Bayreuth Festival Theater, which has now been closed for eight years, will not be reopened till the summer of 1924. Though funds are already subscribed for the resuming of these world-famous performances, necessary repairs to the house and its appliances will render it impossible to be ready for their use in the summer of 1923." Mention was also made of Wagner's son Siegfried seeking aid to resume the festival production.

I'd be interested in knowing what the postcard message says. It might have some interesting musical background or simply be relating details of a shopping spree. Unfortunately, decrypting the handwriting has been too difficult for me to make use of an on-line translation tool. If any German language speakers would like to take a crack at it, that would be great!

[Szykneij]

During the late 1800's and early 1900's in Europe, a large number of women's performance groups ("Damen Kapellen") were formed. Many of these were brass bands, but there were also groups of singers, dancers, instrumentalists of all kinds, and other types of ensembles.

This postcard is a recent addition to my collection. It advertises the group "Hammonia", directed by Clara Mackens. Research reveals Mackens was also a violinist and her particular ensemble was a bit unusual in that it was led by a woman. Most Damen Kapellen of the time, while primarily composed of female performers, were directed by men.

Something else that's a bit unusual is that the ensemble is listed as "Damen Solisten-Ensemble". I'm guessing that this group featured both solo and ensemble performances. The individual pictured in the center is also a violinist while the one at the left appears to be holding either a tranverse flute or some other wind instrument.

The Austrian stamp on the back was issued in 1913 and pictures Franz Josef, emperor of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1916. According to the postmark, the card was mailed in 1915 from Vienna to an address in that city, sending happy Name Day (Namenstag) greetings to the recipient. At the time, name days (celebrating the individual's Christian name) were more important than birthdays in some traditionally Catholic regions of Europe.

The rubber-stamped return address is for the Astra-Bierhaus located in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, Germany. Most likely, this was a Hammonia performance venue and perhaps the sender of the card was a member of the troupe. Another, although quirky, musical tie-in is that the proprietor of the establishment was named Robert Zimmermann -- the same birth name (sans the double n's) as Bob Dylan.

[Szykneij]

Rafael Jeroným Kubelík, Czech conductor and composer (June 29, 1914 – August 11, 1996).

[Karl Henning]

Rafael Jeroným Kubelík, Czech conductor and composer (June 29, 1914 – August 11, 1996).

Nice!