Eric Sams
Encyclopedia
Eric Sams was a British musicologist and Shakespeare
scholar.
Born in London
, he was raised in Essex
; his early brilliance in school earned him a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
at the age of sixteen. His life-long passion for puzzles and ciphers stood him in good stead in his wartime service in British Intelligence
(1944-47). After the war he read modern languages at Cambridge (French and German), 1947-50; upon graduation he entered the Civil Service. In 1952 he married Enid Tidmarsh (d. 2002), a pianist. Their elder son, Richard, is a Japanese scholar and chess
master working in Tokyo; their younger son Jeremy Sams
is a composer, lyricist, playwright, and theatre director.
In music, Sams wrote on and studied a range of subjects and genres, though his specialty was German lieder. He wrote volumes on the songs of Robert Schumann
, Johannes Brahms
, and Hugo Wolf
. His theory of Song-Motifs is 20th Century's most important contribution to the research in the field of German Song studies. From 1965 to 1980 he was a regular contributor to The Musical Times
with Essays and Reviews. Most notably, he wrote on Schumann's and Brahms's ciphers and music codes (the "Clara-Theme", among others), on Elgar's Enigma and on Schubert's and Schumann's pathologies. His New Grove articles include Schubert and Schumann work-list, "Wolf" and Wolf work-list, "Mörike", "Hanslick" and "Musical Cryptography" (also in Grove 6). He reviewed opera performance for the New Statesman
, 1976-8 and wrote record reviews for Gramophone 1976-78.
In the field of Shakespeare studies, Sams specialized in the early phases of Shakespeare's career. He argued strongly against the concept of memorial reconstruction
, believing that variants from standard Shakespeare texts were more likely the playwright's own early versions. He wrote books defending the attributions of the anonymous plays Edward III
and Edmund Ironside
to Shakespeare, and a chronology of the poet's early career, The Real Shakespeare. Its sequel, covering the later years, remained unfinished at Sams's death but has since been published as an e-book.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
scholar.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was raised in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
; his early brilliance in school earned him a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at the age of sixteen. His life-long passion for puzzles and ciphers stood him in good stead in his wartime service in British Intelligence
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
(1944-47). After the war he read modern languages at Cambridge (French and German), 1947-50; upon graduation he entered the Civil Service. In 1952 he married Enid Tidmarsh (d. 2002), a pianist. Their elder son, Richard, is a Japanese scholar and chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
master working in Tokyo; their younger son Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams is a British film director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist....
is a composer, lyricist, playwright, and theatre director.
In music, Sams wrote on and studied a range of subjects and genres, though his specialty was German lieder. He wrote volumes on the songs of Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
, and Hugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School in concision but utterly unrelated in...
. His theory of Song-Motifs is 20th Century's most important contribution to the research in the field of German Song studies. From 1965 to 1980 he was a regular contributor to The Musical Times
The Musical Times
The Musical Times is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It is currently the oldest such journal that is still publishing in the UK, having been published continuously since 1844. It was published as The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular until...
with Essays and Reviews. Most notably, he wrote on Schumann's and Brahms's ciphers and music codes (the "Clara-Theme", among others), on Elgar's Enigma and on Schubert's and Schumann's pathologies. His New Grove articles include Schubert and Schumann work-list, "Wolf" and Wolf work-list, "Mörike", "Hanslick" and "Musical Cryptography" (also in Grove 6). He reviewed opera performance for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, 1976-8 and wrote record reviews for Gramophone 1976-78.
In the field of Shakespeare studies, Sams specialized in the early phases of Shakespeare's career. He argued strongly against the concept of memorial reconstruction
Memorial reconstruction
The theory of memorial reconstruction refers to the hypotheses concerning the transcription of 17th century plays from memory by actors who had played parts in them, and the subsequent publication of those transcripts...
, believing that variants from standard Shakespeare texts were more likely the playwright's own early versions. He wrote books defending the attributions of the anonymous plays Edward III
Edward III (play)
The Reign of King Edward the Third is an Elizabethan play printed anonymously in 1596. It has frequently been claimed that it was at least partly written by William Shakespeare, a view that Shakespeare scholars have increasingly endorsed. The rest of the play was probably written by Thomas Kyd...
and Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside (play)
Edmund Ironside, or War Hath Made All Friends is an anonymous Elizabethan play that depicts the life of Edmund II of England. At least three critics have suggested that it is an early work by William Shakespeare.-Text:...
to Shakespeare, and a chronology of the poet's early career, The Real Shakespeare. Its sequel, covering the later years, remained unfinished at Sams's death but has since been published as an e-book.
Selected works by Eric Sams
- The Songs of Hugo Wolf, 1961.
- The Songs of Robert Schumann, 1969.
- Brahms Songs, 1972
- Shakespeare's Lost Play, Edmund Ironside, 1986.
- The Real Shakespeare: Retrieving the Early years, 1564-1594, 1995.
- Shakespeare's Edward III: An Early Play Restored to the Canon, 1996.
- The Songs of Johannes Brahms, 2000.
- Essays and Reviews on Music, on Shakespeare, on Cryptography, 1966-1998, online edition in the web-pages of the Centro Studi "Eric Sams" (http://www.ericsams.org)
- The Real Shakespeare II: Retrieving the Later Years, 1594-1616, 2008, e-book published by the Centro Studi "Eric Sams" (http://www.ericsams.org/shakespeare.htm)
- Opere complete in 15 volumi. Collana diretta da Erik Battaglia e Valentina Valente. Traduzione e cura di Erik Battaglia. Asti, Analogon Edizioni (http://www.analogon.it), 2007- (Vol.1, Il Tema di Clara, 2007; Vol.2, Variazioni con Enigma svelato, 2008; Vol.3, Introduzione ai Lieder di Brahms, 2008; Vol.4, Hugo Wolf. Introduzione alla vita e alle opere, 2008; Vol.5, Tabù or not tabù, 2010; Vol.6, I Lieder di Robert Schumann, 2010; Vol.7, Robert Schumann, Jean Paul: Papillons, with an Introduction and a Commentary by Eric Sams, 2010; Vol. 8, Musica e codici cifrati, 2011)
External links
- "Centro Studi Eric Sams" Online Publication of all his essays and reviews in English and Italian