A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Utrecht

by William Barclay Squire

UTRECHT. The Collegium Musicum Ultrajectinum, or Stads-Concert, is the second oldest musical society in the Netherlands, if not in Europe. It was founded on Jan. 1, 1631, forty years after the St. Caecilia Concert of Arnheim, a society which is still in existence. The Utrecht Collegium originally consisted of eleven amateurs belonging to the best families of the town, who met together every Saturday evening for the practice of vocal and instrumental music. In course of time professional musicians were engaged to perform, and in 1721 friends of the members and pupils of the professionals were admitted. In 1766 the society first gave public concerts; since 1830 these have been under the leadership of a conductor paid by the town. At the present day the orchestra consists of over forty members, mostly musicians resident in Utrecht, but including a few artists from Amsterdam and amateurs. Ten concerts are given by the society every winter, each programme being repeated at two performances, to the first of which only gentlemen are admitted: the corresponding 'Dames-Concert' takes place a week later. By a mutual arrangement with the similar societies at Amsterdam, the Hague, Rotterdam and Arnheim, no concerts take place on the same evenings in any of these towns, so that the soloists—generally one vocalist and one instrumentalist—appear alternately at concerts in the different places. The concerts are given in the Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wesenschappen; the average attendance is from 600 to 800. In 1881 the members of the society numbered over 200, so that the subscriptions afford a tolerably certain income. The present director is Mr. Richard Hol, who has filled the place since 1862. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the society its history was written by Mr. van Reimsdijk. His work is entitled 'Het Stads-Muziekcollegie te Utrecht (Collegium Musicum Ultrajectinum) 1631–1881. Eene bijdrage tot de geschiedenis des Toonkurist in Nederland' (Utrecht 1881).

[ W. B. S. ]