Eric Sams
Eric Sams was a distinguished musicologist and Shakespearean scholar, born in London in 1926. He served in the British Army Intelligence Corps during World War II, where he showcased his exceptional memory and interest in cryptography. After completing his military service, Sams pursued higher education at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, earning a B.A. in 1950 and later a Ph.D. in 1970 for his work on German Lieder. Throughout his career, he became known for his expertise in the music of composers such as Hugo Wolf, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann, producing detailed analyses and translations of their songs.
In addition to his music scholarship, Sams made significant contributions to Shakespeare studies, particularly through his textual analysis and arguments regarding the authorship of various plays. His theories suggested connections between music and Shakespeare's works, seeing both fields as intertwined through motifs and symbols. After facing challenges with clinical depression, Sams transitioned to a writing and lecturing career until his passing in 2004. His legacy includes several notable publications in both music history and Shakespearean scholarship, reflecting a lifelong dedication to these disciplines. He was married to pianist Enid Tidmarsh and had two sons, each of whom pursued their own notable careers.
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Eric Sams
- Born: May 3, 1926
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: September 13, 2004
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Musicologist and Shakespearean scholar Eric Sams was born in London in 1926. Immediately after graduating from Westcliff High School for Boys, he served in the British Army Intelligence Corps during World War II. He translated and deciphered German and Japanese messages and codes and was noted for his amazing memory. He remained interested in cryptography throughout his life and this interest would play a key role in his later work.
After completing his military service, Sams attended Corpus Christi College at Cambridge, graduating with a B.A. in 1950. He then became a civil servant, working for almost thirty years at the Department of Employment. While working there, Sams pursued his intellectual interest in music history. He received a Ph.D. from his alma mater in 1970 for his publications on German Lieder. He established himself as an expert in both Lieder and French melodiés as well as the composers Hugo Wolf, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann. Sams produced a book of songs for each of the three composers, presenting each song individually with translation and detailed analysis. He was the opera critic for the New Statesman and took a hiatus from his civil service job to be a guest lecturer at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, during the 1976-1977 academic year.
A struggle with clinical depression forced Sams to quit his job at the Department of Employment in 1978. He then became a writer and a visiting lecturer until his death in London in 2004. Sams produced several significant books on music history and William Shakespeare, all noteworthy for their detailed analysis that was made possible by his remarkable memory. Although music history and Shakespearean studies appear to be disparate fields, Sams maintained they were related because they both involved the “cumulative study of motifs, symbols, images, and ideas in general considered both as elements of aesthetic expression and as data in problem solving.”
Sams applied his cryptographic knowledge to Schumann’s Lieder, demonstrating how Schumann enciphered words as notes, a discovery which allowed Sams to uncover the specific meanings embedded in the composer’s musical motifs. Sams also hypothesized that Schumann’s damaged hand was due to the ingestion of mercury for the treatment of syphilis.
He conducted an equally detailed examination of Shakespeare’s work. His careful textual analysis and dating of the playEdward III are widely accepted as proof Shakespeare’s authorship. A similar analysis attributing the play Edmund Ironside to Shakespeare received a lesser degree of critical acceptance. Sams also suggested that Shakespeare began writing plays in the 1580’s, a period usually referred to as “the lost decade” because it marks a ten-year gap between Shakespeare’s maturity and the accepted publication date of his first play. Sams argued that Shakespeare’s “bad quartos” are not, in fact, poor transcripts by actors but drafts by a playwright learning his craft. Sams received the Leverhulme Trust Award in 1983 for his edition of Edmund Ironside. That same year he was appointed an honorary member of the Guildhall School of Music.
Sams was married to pianist Enid Tidmarsh from 1952 until his death. The couple had two sons, Richard Sams, a chess champion and Japanese scholar, and Jeremy Sams, a composer and director.