En drottnings jordafärd

Hovkapellet vid Ulrika Eleonoras d.y. begravning 1742

Abstract

On November, 24 1741, Queen Ulrika Eleonora, Jr., died. She was removed to the chapel on December, 5 1741 and buried on December, 1 1742. By a letter from Johan Helmich Roman the music performed at these events is partly known.. The discovery of name lists of the 101 performing musicians (2 organ builders, 1 messenger uncounted) changes the research possibilities on the development of the royal orchestra. Opposed to the conditions of the corresponding 1751 national solemnities the professional musicians form a minority (28 persons), of which 12 belonged to the royal orchestra, 8 to the royal life guards oboists, 4 to the royal trumpeters, 2 were singers and 2 precentors, whereas the musicians called for outside the court were 73 (among them 10 school boys). Many of the amatuer musicians were educated people with university studies, performing in the academic orchestras, and were in their professons to be of importance for the developing of musical societies and associations in 18th c. Sweden. One of them was Pehr Cederhamn whose handwriting is identified as H/N 23 and Collection Engelhardt E:16, a discovery that enables determination of parts of the music library of the royal orchestra from the 1740’s.