BRATISLAVSKÝ SPEVÁCKY SPOLOK A JEHO PRVÝ ZBORMAJSTER ANTON STREHLEN

Bratislava Choral Society, founded in 1879, focused on the cultivation of mixed choral singing. Under the leadership of its first choirmaster Anton Strehlen (1879 – 1906), its concerts were already of a high artistic level. The programmes of concerts and soirées consisted of cantatas, choirs, hymns, vocal ensembles (especially vocal quartets), extracts from operas, and also instrumental music. This article is concerned with the Society’s concert repertoire in the era of A. Strehlen, particularly the presentation of cantata works (by R. Mader, N. W. Gade, R. Schumann, M. Bruch, H. Hofmann, G. Zichy, among others) and their reception. New findings are presented on the biography of A. Strehlen and other singers and instrumentalists participating in the Society’s activity.