Sala di musica orientale: Literary Representations of Oriental Salon-Music During the Reign of Selim III (1789-1808)
Sala di musica orientale: Literary Representations of Oriental Salon-Music During the Reign of Selim III (1789-1808)

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with some early instances of salon music in late-18th century Istanbul, as is attested in the Greek literature of the time. As was the case with salon music in other cities of central and Eastern Europe (such as Vienna), this genre was not systematically recorded due to its private nature but was partially described in travelers’ accounts or in works of fiction. One of the main sources of information is the Greek romance collection, Έρωτος Αποτελέσματα [Effects of Love], written by an anonymous author, and published in Vienna 1792 (with a second edition in 1809). Two of the three stories of the collection are set in Istanbul whilst the third one takes place in the Russian city of Poltava (where a Phanariot prince with his retinue has been exiled). In these stories the salon (mentioned by the Italian word, sala) is a standard place for social gathering, romantic mating, and music making. The musical performance, as sketched in the collection, has three basic elements (which characterize the oriental culture at large): it is an all-male event (women being reduced to listeners in one story), the music is vocal and monodic (in double rounds), and the guests are the performers themselves. The paper contrasts this type of oriental salon-music to its western counterpart of the time, which uses musical instruments, includes women (both as artists and hostesses), and the performers are not necessarily identified with the guests (professional artists as opposed to noble or bourgeois audience).

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