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Cembalo by Jacob Specken 1748, please note the pattern on the corpus of
the instrument. This instrument belongs to the collections of the Music-
and theatre museum in Stockholm. Photo: Musikmuseet, Stockholm.
The motifs of these paintings most likely tell us about the activities
in the salons at the Fredrikshof manor (playing cards, making music,
having a conversation). The musicians are aristocratic amateurs or
may even be court musicians. 10 This is a very possible ensemble and
though the picture is not a proven true “reportage” it is likely to
show what really took place in these circles. So, I think it is a picture
of a kind one loves as a musicologist, because it is so rich in information
and tells us about the practices of its time.
Other musical performers
In the study we find pictures that portray special musicians. One of
them focuses on two singing jesters and here we find music in a new
context.
The following painting comes from the Gripsholm castle which was
built during the 1500’s, originally as a fort. It was altered later. For
example King Gustaf III built a theatre there in the 1700’s, in one of
the round towers. But one might well say that the most famous room
in the castle is Duke Karl’s bedroom.
10 This is suggested by Eva Helenius in her dissertation on the clavichord
p. 211. Eva Helenius-Öberg, Svenskt klavikordbygge 1720-1820: Studier
i hantverkets teori och praktik jämte instrumentens utveckling och
funktion i Sverige under klassisk tid. Uppsala, 1986. (diss.)
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