Handstil 14 i Roman-samlingen identifierad

Abstract

Hand No. 14 in the Roman collection identified
In 195 5, Ingmar Bengtsson and Ruben Danielson published Handstilar och notfpikturer i Kungl. Musikaliska akademiens Roman samling, containing analyses and identifications of hands and copyists in the major collection of works by Johan Helmich Roman (in the Library of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm). Still unidentified at Danielson’s death in 1960 was the hand designated H 14, one of the most important in the entire collection, who added Roman’s name, the titles of several works, and other miscellaneous information on some 100 manuscripts, almost all of them otherwise in Roman’s autograph. The riddle has now been solved, through the fortuitous discovery of a specimen of the hand of Roman’s eldest son, Johan Helmich Roman Jr., a passport application now in the National Archives, Stockholm. Born in 1732 and dead in 1757 he predeceased his father by one year. Without a question he is identical with H 14. Thus all attributions and other annotations by H 14 stem from the most reliable of sources - the composer himself.