Apollo Gothenburgensis:

Patrick Alströmer och Göteborgs musikliv vid 1700-talets slut

Abstract

Apollo Gothenburgensis: Patrick Alströmer and Musical Life in Göteborg at the End of the 18th Century Patrick Alströmer (1733–1804), businessman and industrialist, lived and worked in Stockholm in his young days and until the age of forty. In Stockholm he took a prominent part in musical activities, being one of the founders of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (1771) and one of the promoters of the Swedish Opera (1772). In 1773 he left Stockholm to settle in his two native places, Göteborg and the neighbouring town Alingsås. He filled the post of Vice County Governor and was member of the Swedish East India Company. His diary of the years 1774 to 1792 contains, apart from accounts of his daily work routines, notes regarding the musicians whose acquaintance he made during that period, among them Swedish composers such as Zellbell jr, or visitors like Campioli, Lolli, Naumann and Vogler. He also met musicians, some of them resident in Göteborg for shorter or longer period, and several of them belonged to his circle of acquaintances. In spite of belonging to the titled classes he also socialized with local musicans and took part in public and private musical activities. One of these musicians was Benedictus Schindler. In connection with the present study Anna Lena Holm has been able to attribute for certain at least one composition among anonymous ones in the State Musical Collection to Schindler. Alströmer’s contributions to musical activities were severely restricted owing to his professional life, his family responsibilities and illnes. Nevertheless, he appears to have been a live wire in local musical life, which appears considerably more active and varied in Alströmer’s diary as compared with earlier known sources.