Pražská varhanická škola

In 19th century Prague, music could be studied at two music schools – the Prague Conservatory, founded in 1811, and the Organ School, founded in 1830. The Conservatory was devoted to the teaching of orchestral instruments and singing, while the Organ School not only taught liturgical organ playing and prepared organists and choir directors for the all-round work of organists in churches, but also attracted those interested in compositional disciplines by its emphasis on perfect mastery of music theory. Therefore, almost all 19th century Czech composers were graduates of the Prague Organ School, among them Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček. The independent existence of the school was closed after sixty years. From 1890 it was merged with the Prague Conservatoire with an unchanged curriculum. The article also documents some methods of teaching and evaluating school pupils.