The Pest National Theatre’s Orchestra and Musicians

The orchestra of the National Theatre was the most significant professional symphonic ensemble in the musical life of 19th century Budapest. Contemporary documents from the theatre’s archives, as well as additional sources, offer an insight into the orchestra’s everyday life and the operation of the theatre, as well as the life events of the musicians.

The national patronage of the Hungarian Theatre in Pest – acquired in August 1840, three year after its establishment – was an important step in the history of the institution. From then on, it was directly under the jurisdiction of the Hungarian Diet [National Assembly], bypassing further governmental authorities, and adopting the designation “National Theatre.” During the 1840s, the number of opera performances increased, and so did the number of the orchestra’s permanent members. By 1853, the Orchestra of the National Theatre had 46 members, while the Orchestra of the Philharmonic Society, founded in 1853, had 47 members. Musical societies founded during the reform era in order to boost up musical life included the Pest-budai Hangászegyesület [Pest-Buda Music Society, est. 1836], led by Gábor Mátray, and the Pest-budai Hangászegyleti Énekiskola [Singing School of the Pest-Buda Music Society, est. 1839–1840] which served music education purposes, too. These two societies later merged to become the Pest-budai Hangászegyleti Zenede [Conservatory of the Pest-Buda Music Society, est. 1851] with its members playing a significant role in the development of concert life already before the formation of the Orchestra of the Philharmonic Society, a mission they carried on with later as well. Hungarian musicology studied the National Theatre’s general music director, Ferenc Erkel, and the theater’s internationally acclaimed prima donnas Rosalie Klein Schodel or Kornélia Hollósy on multiple occasions. However, we know little about the orchestral musicians who were also part of the theatre’s ensemble. Established in 1838, this orchestra eventually gave rise to the Orchestra of the Philharmonic Society (1853) and later to the ensemble of the Hungarian Royal Opera House (1884), which became the most significant professional symphonic ensemble in Budapest’s late 19th-century music life. This website offers an insight into the operation of the National Theatre, the activities carried out by its orchestra, and the life events of the instrumentalists. The approach centered on ‘everyday history’ is meant to provide our online visitors with a personal experience.

Curated by Pál Horváth