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About the middle of the Nineteenth Century
Europe was in an unsettled condition politically, and
many musicians found it more conducive to the well-being
of mind and body to cross the Atlantic. Notable among
them were twenty-three professionals who left Berlin
with letters from the English and American ambassadors.
They first went to London, but receiving little
encouragement they set sail for America, arriving in New
York on Sept. 28, 1848. On October 5 they appeared under
the designation of the " Germania Orchestra " in a
concert at the Astor Place Opera House. The financial
returns were anything but satisfactory, and the little
band of artists, strangers in a strange land, passed on
to Philadelphia, to meet with no better success. They
then disbanded, but subsequently were called together to
play at the presidential inauguration ball at
Washington. From Washington they went to Baltimore, and
here they not only were enthusiastically received, but
substantially rewarded, in spite of the fact that a
visiting European orchestra under Joseph Gungl then was
entertaining the Baltimoreans. From Baltimore they went
to Boston, giving concerts at New Haven, Worcester, and
other large towns by the way. They were not at first
well received at Boston, but afterward seemed to make a
better impression. After playing at the Castle Garden
concerts in New York, and during the summer season at
Newport, they returned to Baltimore, remaining there
during the winter of 1849-1850. In the summer following
they made a very successful tour but returned to winter
in Baltimore, and under the management of Strakosch,
with Patti as soloist, they made a southern tour. Later
they gave thirty concerts with Jenny Lind.
The Germania Orchestra became one of the strongest
educators in orchestral work in America. In Boston, in
1851-1852, they were fairly successful, but in
1853-1854, their third time in Boston, they met with
little success. The orchestra disbanded in 1854, but
each of its leading members became a unit in the
progress of American orchestral music. The fact that the
Germania Orchestra received its best recognition in the
South was because the people of the southern cities
received an early educative influence in instrumental
music. While the North still was debating on the
question of church music the southern colonies had both
sacred and secular music fairly well established, as
English, French, German and Italian musicians early had
found their way to the South and taken up residence
there.
Save in the South, the Gungl orchestra, finely equipped
as it was, gained little encouragement. This was in
1849, but four years later Jullien came with his
orchestra of forty performers, some of them being
soloists of the highest rank. Afterward he increased the
number to ninety-seven. This was the largest orchestra
America yet had heard, and it had its effect. It was an
inspiration to our musicians and an education to the
public.
These visiting orchestras left their influence and acted
as incentives toward the formation of American
organizations. In the past fifty years we have made
wonderful progress in musical culture, especially in the
way of a more general appreciation of orchestral music.
The general American public, in contrast with the other
English speaking peoples as a rule, is more interested
in instrumental than in vocal music and this taste has
tended toward our more rapid musical development. There
is no question that the English themselves have been
hampered through their adherence to choral music ; and
this preconceived taste has tended to retard their
progress, for choral music has not kept pace with that
written for solo instruments and for the orchestra.
Owing to the American temperament and disposition
instrumental music appeals more strongly to us, and it
is in this field that the future of American music lies.
It also is to this taste that our extraordinary progress
is due.
http://www.tribalsmile.com/music/article_13.shtml
Philadelphia – The Germanians gave four concerts, the
concluding one on Monday evening [11 April 1853]. The
adagio to the “Choral Symphony” figured on their last
program.
[Dwight’s Journal, III, 2 (16 April 1853) p. 15]
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Newport [R.I.?] The “Germanians” with the
assistance of Otto Dresel have been giving a
series of classical matinées musicales in the
hall of the Ocean House. The following program
from Friday noon August 5th [1853] … Septetto,
op. 20 in E flat for violin, viola, ‘cello,
contrabass , clarinet, horn, and fagatto … Küstenmacher,
horn.
[Dwight’s Journal, III, 19 (13 August 1853) p.
151]
Germania (now enlarged to about 50) Concert in
Boston Musica Hall, October 22, 1853, Overture
to Tannhäuser – Wagner … first time in America
[Dwight’s Journal, IV, no. 3, (22 October
1853 ), p.
23
]
Germania Musical Society – Third Grand
Subscription Concert [November 19, 1853] :
Beethoven Symphony No. 4; Overture to Rienzi –
Wagner (manuscript, first time in America);
Romance from the opera “L’éclair, ” for
horn and flute - Halevy, performed by Kuestenmacher
and Zerrahn; Overture to “Semiramis” – Rossini
The Romanza from Halev’s L’éclair is a pretty
piece of sweetness, just fitted to be popular
with the youthful flirtation and confectionery
age, and was nicely dialogized by the horn and
flute by Messrs. Kuestenmacher and
Zerrahn.
[Dwight’s Journal, IV, 7 (19 November 1853)
p.??? and Dwight’s Journal,
IV, 8 (26 November 1853) pp. 61-62]
Germania, December 17, 1853 included German Lied
“Lebe Wohl” (Good bye,) with obligato Horn
accompaniment – Proch, sung by M’lle Caroline
Pintard [no mention of the horn player in ad or
review.]
[Dwight’s Journal, IV, no. 11, (17 December
1853) p. 87 and IV, no. 12 (24 December
1853) p. 93]
Boston, Music Hall, 7 Jan. 1854: Trio for 2
Horns and Bassoon by Bergmann, perf. by Messrs Kuestenmacher
and Plagemann.
Germania January 7, 1854 … Trio for two horns
and Bassoon – [Carl] Bergmann. Messrs Kuestenmacher,
Plagemann, and Hunstock. [also
Schubert Symphony in C, Rossini Ov. Siege
of Corinth] Mr. Bergman’s Trio for two horns and
bassoon had a quaint, somber and scholastic
sound, with a sort of contrapuntal fascination
about it and exhibited to good advantage the
instruments and tasteful execution of Herrn Kuestenmacher,
Plagemann, and Hunstock.
[Dwight’s Journal, IV, 15 (14 January
1854) p. 118]
Germania Concert [January 14, 1854] “The
Huntsman, Soldier, and Sailor – Spohr, solo for
a bass voice, with obligato for Harp, French
Horn, and Violoncello sung by Signor Camoenz,
Mr. Aptommas, the Welsh Harpist. The song
of Spohr, by Signor Camoenz, (with harp and horn
accompaniment), was over before we could begin
to make out what was the amount of it.
[Dwight’s Journal, IV, 16 (21 January
1854) p. 127]
Germania – February 4, 1854, Beethoven 7,
[1st time for them ??]
Germania – February 18, 1854, Andante and
variations from the Septetto in E flat Major op.
20 – Beethoven, performed by …H.
Kuesntenmacher, etc…
Germania Musical Society with members of
Handel and Haydn Society [February 5, 1853] :
Part I includes Overture to Zauberflöte –
Mozart; Violin concerto in B minor, No. 24 –
Viotti; Second Concerto in D minor for piano and
orchestra – Mendelssohn. Part II, Ninth
Symphony – Beethoven (first Boston performance)
[First U.S. Performance?]
[Symphony scheduled to be repeated on 12 March
but postponed until 2 April 1853]
[Dwight’s Journal, II, 18 (5 February 1853) p.
143, and II, 24,(19 March 1853), p. 191]
Germania – March 18, 1854 - The three first
movements from Symphony No. 9 by Beethoven.
[Dwight’s Journal, IV, 24 (18 March 1854)
p.189]
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Hermann Küstenmacher
Carl Plagemann
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The Germanians disbanded, and
Bergmann bespoken for Chicago where is the hope of
organization, where the leader about whom the
materials, plentiful enough, may group themselves
and be inspired to one high end. We trust our
old Musical Fund Society are studying this problem
in good earnest.
[Dwight’s Journal, V, 21 (26 August 1854)
p.165]
Germania Bergmann engaged as conductor of
Chicago Philharmonic Society… We remark too that Mr.
Rudolf [sic, Rudolphsen?], who sang at the Germania
Concerts, is a very superior hornist and remains
here. Mr. Bundt, the agent, is to become
established in business in Chicago. Also
Messers. Kuestenmacher, the hornist, and
Moritz the trumpet, who propose to vary a business
life with playing in the Philharmonic Orchestra,
under their old leader, Bergmann… Philadelphia will
have Plagemann, second hornist, and Koppitz,
flutist…
[Mr. Albrecht, second clarinet to M. Cabet’s Icarian
Community at Nauvoo, Illinois, … orchestra of 40
members.]
[Dwight’s Journal, V, 24 (16 September 1854)
p. 189]
Advertisement for the Germania Musical Society, Dec.
23, 1852 includes “Notturno from the
melodrama”Midsummer Nights Dream’ (by request) -
Mendelssohn”
[Dwight’s Journal, II no.11 (18 December 1852) p.88]
American tours in 1848 through 1854 and its two
important conductors, Carl Lenschow and Carl
Bergmann, with horn playerrs, Hermann
Küstenmacher and Carl Plagemann.
[H. Earle Johnson, “The Germania Musical Society,”
Musical Quarterly 39, no. 1 (January 1953): 75-93]
William Mactier, in his history of the Musical Fund
Society of Philadelphia (1885), mentions that Carl
Plagemann plans to join the society.
Kustenmacher planned to move to Chicago (with
Bergmann) and Plagemann to
Philadelphia. This info comes from Dwight's
Journal, 16 September
1854, p. 189; there's a little more about Plagemann
in Upton's Musical
Memories, p. 54.
Baltimore, Carroll Hall, 22 Oct. 1850: Plagemann
performed an unspecified "Grand Solo."
Boston, Melodeon, 27 Feb. 1852: "Elegie" by
Reissiger, performed by Küstenmacher
(spelled "Kuesteromacher" on the program broadside).
The Germanians, by request, gave a matinée of
classical chamber music at the Ocean House last
Wednesday a grand septet by Hummel (with piano) and
the nonet (for violins, viola, ‘cello, contrabasso,
flute, clarinet, bassoon, & French horn) by
Spohr.
[Dwight’s Journal, I, no. 21 (28 August 1852) p.
167]
An advertisement announces summer afternoon concerts
at the Melodeon by the “Germania Serenade Band”
(actually a small orchestra). Horns: H. Fries
and Th. Maas.
The “Germania Serenade Band” … have now three first
violins … Mr. Eichler having been
transposed to the French horn.
[Dwight’s Journal, I no.9 (5 June 1852) p. 71 and I
no. 25, (25 September 1852) p. 198]
[Advertisement] Germania Musical Society concert for
December 23, 1852 includes Notturno from the
melodrame “Midsummer Nights Dream” (by request) –
Mendelssohn
[Dwight’s Journal, II, no. 11 (18 December 1852) p.
88]
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