Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

'Brothers of the String': Henry Purcell and the Letter-Books of Rowland Sherman

2011; Oxford University Press; Volume: 92; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/ml/gcr116

1477-4631

Bryan White,

Ottoman Empire History and Society

In the summer of 1688, Rowland Sherman—a factor for the Levant Company in the service of Sir Gabriel Roberts—left London for Aleppo, in modern-day Syria, where he lived and worked until his death in 1748. Two letter-books of his correspondence for the years 1683–91 and 1699–1702 survive; they include letters to musical friends in London—primarily to the Levant merchant Philip Wheak and the Blackwell Hall factor James Piggott—containing many references to Henry Purcell, a personal acquaintance of Sherman and his circle. Through his friends, Sherman sent greetings to the composer, from whom he requested compositions and rules for basso continuo playing. The letters also provide information on Wheak’s travels in Italy c.1687–8, where he collected music by Bernardo Pasquini and Girolamo Frescobaldi, which he sent to Sherman and also took back to Purcell and his other acquaintances in London; this group of amateur and professional musicians was associated with the Society of Gentlemen Lovers of Music, patrons of the yearly musical celebrations at Stationers’ Hall in London on St Cecilia’s Day. In addition, Sherman’s letters describe his musical activities in Aleppo, which included performing with his English compatriots, other European merchants, and clerics from the local Catholic mission. An inventory of Sherman’s estate made after his death, including a detailed catalogue of his musical library of 123 prints and manuscripts, shows his musical interests and the range of his collecting activities. A detailed examination of Sherman’s letters and music library, of his circle, and of his life in Aleppo offers a new understanding of music-making among merchants and professional musicians in Restoration London, and shows how music provided a crucial medium for entertainment, friendship, and personal recreation among an isolated community of European merchants in the Ottoman Empire.