Roman, Johan Helmich

Roman, Johan Helmich , significant Swedish composer; b. Stockholm, Oct. 26, 1694; d. Haraldsmala, near Kalmar, Nov. 20, 1758. He was of Swedish-German descent. He mastered the violin and oboe in childhood, and by 1711 he was a member of the royal chapel, where his father, Johan Roman, was also a member. With the permission of King Charles XII, he pursued his training in England (c. 1715–21), where he may have received lessons from Pepusch; was also associated with Ariosti, G.B. Bononcini, Geminiani, and Handel. He returned to Stockholm in 1721, where he was deputy master (1721–27) and chief master (1727––5) of the royal chapel. He was compelled to retire as a result of deafness and ill health, and subsequently served as hovintendent (court steward). In 1731 he organized the first public concerts given in Stockholm. He was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Science in 1740. Roman was the first Swedish composer to write instrumental and choral music that could compare favorably with German and Italian works, and was for that reason called “the father of Swedish music.” His style shows the influence of Handel. Some 400 extant works are attributed to him, the majority of MSS being housed at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm. His most celebrated work is the orch. suite Bilägers musiquen (Royal Wedding Music) or Drottningholsmusiquen (1744; ed. by C. Gen-etay, Stockholm, 1958). He also wrote 6 suites, at least 17 sinfonias, 4 overtures, 4 violin concertos, 12 sonate for Flute, Violone, and Harpsichord, 13 trio sonatas for 2 Violins and Basso Continuo, at least 11 harpsichord sonatas, violin pieces, and sacred and secular vocal works. A collected ed. of his works began appearing in 1965 in the series Monumenta Musicae Svecicae. See I. Bengtsson, ed., Mr. Roman’s Spuriosity Shop: A Thematic Catalogue of 503 Works (1213 Incipits and Other Excerpts) from ca. 1680–1750 by More Than Sixty Composers (Stockholm, 1976).

Bibliography

A. Sahlstedt, äreminne qfwer hofintendenten kongl. capellmastaren…J.H. R. (Stockholm, 1767); P. Vretblad, ].H. R. 1694–1758; Svenska musikens fader (2 vols., Stockholm, 1914); I. Bengtsson, f.H. R. och hans Instrumentalmusik: Käll-och stilkritiska studier (Uppsala, 1955); I. Bengtsson and R. Danielson, Hands-tilar och notpikturer i Kungl. musikaliska akademiens R.-samling (Uppsala, 1955); G. Carleberg, Buxtehude, Telemann och R. (Stockholm, 1965); E. Helenius- öberg, J.H. R.: Liv och verk genom samtida ögon: Dokumentens vittnesbörd (Stockholm, 1994).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire