The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary
academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
founded in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi.
History
Foundation
The beginnings of the Accademia degli Arcadi date to February 1656, when a literary circle formed under the patronage of
Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December (New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...
, who had abdicated the Swedish crown in 1654, converted to Catholicism, and taken up her residence in Rome, where she spent much of the rest of her life. There she became a significant patron of music and opera, with composers including
Alessandro Scarlatti
Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan school of opera.
...
,
Alessandro Stradella
Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque period. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, and collaborating with ...
and
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of ...
dedicating works to her. After her death in 1689, the academy was established in her memory and elected her as its symbolic head (''basilissa'', the Greek term for 'Queen'). The Academy lasted for the next two hundred years, remaining a leading cultural institution into the 20th century.
The Accademia degli Arcadi was so-called because its principal intention was to reform the diction of Italian poetry, which the founders believed had become corrupt through over-indulgence in the ornamentation of the baroque style, under the inspiration of pastoral literature, the conventions of which imagined the life of shepherds, originally supposed to have lived in Arcadia in the golden age, divinely inspired in poetry by the
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
s,
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
,
Hermes
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
and
Pan. The Academy chose as its emblem the pipe of
Pan with its seven unequal reeds.
The fourteen founders selected as the first ''Custode di Arcadia'' or president of the academy,
Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni
Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni (October 9, 1663March 8, 1728) was an Italian critic and poet. Crescimbeni was a founding member and leader of the erudite literary society of Accademia degli Arcadi in Rome.
Biography
Born in Macerata, which was then ...
who was the author of a history of Italian poetry and of various literary works. The Arcadians resolved to return to the fields of truth, always singing of subjects of pastoral simplicity and drawing their inspiration from Greco-Roman bucolic poetry. The ideal parameters for the artistic work were simplicity and a sense of measure and beauty. Common to all the poets was the desire to oppose the poetry of the
Marinists, and return to classic poetry, embracing also the recent rationalist influence of
Descartes. Norms and rituals of the academy took their cue from classic and pastoral mythology, as in the custom of assuming 'pastoral' names (
Crescimbeni, for example, chose that of 'Alfesibeo Cario'). The fourteen founder members included the librettist
Silvio Stampiglia
Silvio Stampiglia (14 March 1664 – 27 January 1725) was an Italian poet, librettist, and founder member of the Accademia dell'Arcadia under the pen name of Palemone Licurio. Numerous Italian composer set his libretti to music, particularly Carlo ...
and the poet
Vincenzo Leonio.
The first solemn gathering of the Arcadians was held on the
Janiculum
The Janiculum (; it, Gianicolo ), occasionally the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among th ...
hill, in a wood belonging to the
Reformed Minorites
Reform is beneficial change
Reform may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
*Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
, on 5 October 1690.
Orsini Gardens & Beyond
In 1692, the meetings were transferred to the gardens of
Duke Orsini on the
Esquiline
The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' (Oppian Hill).
Etymology
The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...
hill; in 1696, to the
Farnese Gardens
The Farnese Gardens ( it, Orti Farnesiani sul Palatino), or "Gardens of Farnese upon the Palatine", are a garden in Rome, central Italy, created in 1550 on the northern portion of Palatine Hill, by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. They were the fir ...
on the
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. . Finally, the generosity of
John V of Portugal
Dom John V ( pt, João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (''o Magnânimo'') and the Portuguese Sun King (''o Rei-Sol Português''), was King of Portugal from 9 December 1706 ...
, one of its members under the name of Arete Melleo, enabled the society to secure (1723) on the Janiculum a site known as the ''
Bosco Parrasio'' or (Parrasian Grove). Here they held their meetings on summer days, in winter moving to the ''Teatro degli Arcadi'' in the
Palazzo Salviati. In 1696 the Accademia admitted seven musicians including
Giovanni Bononcini
Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as Giovanni Battista Bononcini) was an Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher, one of a family of string players and composers.
Biography
E ...
.
While the academy was still on the Palatine, its ''Statuto'' or Constitution was drawn up. This constitution (the work of co-founder
Gian Vincenzo Gravina
Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina (20 January 1664 – 6 January 1718) was an Italian man of letters and jurist. He was born at Roggiano Gravina, a small town near Cosenza, in Calabria.
Biography
Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina was descended from a d ...
) was modelled on the ancient Roman laws of the '
Twelve Tables
The Laws of the Twelve Tables was the legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. Formally promulgated in 449 BC, the Tables consolidated earlier traditions into an enduring set of laws.Crawford, M.H. 'Twelve Tables' in Simon Hornblowe ...
', and was engraved on marble. Differing tendencies soon asserted themselves, following the ideas of the two founders: that of Gravina stood in the tradition of
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
and Dante, while that of Crescimbeni was more influenced by
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...
. Because of these differences, Gravina left to found the
Accademia dei Quirini in 1711. Despite this loss, Arcadia retained its vigour in the following years, and created colonies in many cities of Italy. Many noblemen, ecclesiastics, and artists held membership in it to be an honour, and very soon it numbered 1,300. Much of what they produced, however, was either mediocre or pretentious (an example is
Saverio Bettinelli
Saverio Bettinelli (18 July 1718 – 13 September 1808) was an Italian Jesuit writer.
became known as a polymath, dramatist, polemicist, poet, and literary critic.
Life
He was born at Mantua; there and later in Bologna, he studied under ...
's disparagement of
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
), although the Academy did receive some endorsement for its attack on the redundant
Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
style, then dominant in art and literature.
The celebrated opera librettist
Pietro Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of '' opera seria'' libretti.
Early life
Me ...
(1698–1782) although he had his own differences with Arcadia, was a student of Gravina's, and a leading light of the academy's second generation. His works, of which the best remembered might be ''Il Re Pastore'' because of its setting by Mozart, may represent the closest thing to a justification of the program that Arcadia achieved.
In 1795, the academy admitted the Italian
Diodata Saluzzo Roero
Diodata Saluzzo Roero (1774–1840) was an Italian poet, playwright and author of prose fiction. Her work drew praise from such figures as Tommaso Valperga di Caluso, Giuseppe Parini, Ludovico di Breme, Alessandro Manzoni, Vittorio Alfieri ...
, as one of its first female members,
[Letizia Panizza & Sharon Wood (2000). "A History of Women's Writing in Italy". p. 144.] but some evidence does exist for earlier female members. In the 17th century, the poet
Maria Antonia Scalera Stellini was elected a member, and the 1721 edition of the Academy's publication included work by
Caterina Imperiale Lercari Pallavicini Caterina Imperiale Pallavicini (also spelled "Catharina"; pen name, Arsinda Poliades; floruit, fl. 1721) was an 18th-century Neo-Latin (New Latin) poet from the greater Genoa region. Her work, which was published in the collections of the Pontifical ...
.
Anti-Arcadian Reaction
A violent anti-Arcadian reaction soon developed, and, starting from the early 19th century, Arcadianism began to be regarded as a late and unconvincing expression of the ''ancien régime''. After the end of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the Academy strove to renew itself in accord with the spirit of the times, without sacrificing its traditional system of sylvan associations and pastoral names. The Academy no longer represented a literary school, but a general interest in the classics and figures like Dante came to be greatly honoured by its members. Furthermore, the Academy's field of endeavour was enlarged to include many branches of study, including history and archaeology. The new Arcadian revival was marked by the foundation (1819) of the ''
Giornale Arcadico''. In 1925 the Academy was renamed to become the ''Arcadia – Accademia Letteraria Italiana'', a historical institute.
Legacy
The Accademia degli Arcadi counted among its members some of the principal literary men and women of the time, including
Carlo Alessandro Guidi
Carlo Alessandro Guidi (14 June 1650 – 12 June 1712), Italian lyric poet, was born at Pavia.
Biography
As chief founder of the well-known Roman Academy of the Arcadians, he had a considerable share in the reform of Italian poetry, which ...
,
Petronilla Paolini Massimi,
Benedetto Menzini
Benedetto Menzini (b. at Florence, 1646; d. at Rome, 7 September 1704) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and poet. In his satires he assails in acrid terms the hypocrisy prevailing in Tuscany in the last years of the Medici rule.
Life
His fam ...
, librettist
Pietro Metastasio
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of '' opera seria'' libretti.
Early life
Me ...
,
Francesco Redi
Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet. He is referred to as the "founder of experimental biology", and as the "father of modern parasitology". He was the first person to cha ...
Paolo Rolli
Paolo Antonio Rolli (13 June 1687 – 20 March 1765) was an Italian Libretto, librettist, poet and translator.
Biography
Paolo Rolli was born in Rome, Italy and like Metastasio was trained by Gian Vincenzo Gravina. The Richard Boyle, 3rd ...
, and linguist
Clotilde Tambroni, among others. The famous composer
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...
is known to have often attended the meetings and symposia of the Arcadians when studying in Italy, under the patronage of Ruspoli, a leading member of the Academy. There is an interesting account of the Academy's history and program in Goethe's '
Italian Journey
''Italian Journey'' (in the German original: ) is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's report on his travels to Italy from 1786 to 1788 that was published in 1816 & 1817. The book is based on Goethe's diaries and is smoothed in style, lacks the sponta ...
'.
The archives of the academy are currently housed in the
Biblioteca Angelica
The Biblioteca Angelica ( en, Angelica Library) is a public library located in Rome, Italy. In front of the ''Piazza Sant'Agostino'' square, adjacent to the church of Sant'Agostino, not far from Piazza Navona.
The library holds about over 130,0 ...
, next to the church of
Sant'Agostino in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. The paintings are housed in the
Palazzo Braschi
Palazzo Braschi () is a large Neoclassical palace in Rome, Italy and is located between the Piazza Navona, the Campo de' Fiori, the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Piazza di Pasquino. It presently houses the Museo di Roma, the "Museum of Ro ...
.
''Atti e memorie dell'Accademia letteraria italiana'' was published by the academy.
Copac record
accessed 19 July 2019
Notes
References
* Barroero, L. and Susinno, S. 'Arcadian Rome, Universal Capital of the Arts', in ''Art in Rome in the Eighteenth Century'', ed. E. P. Bowron and J. J. Rishel, 47–77 (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2000)
* Dixon, S. M. (1999) "Women in Arcadia", ''Eighteenth Century Studies'', 32(3), pp. 371–375.
* Dixon, S. M. (2006) ''Between the real and the ideal: the Accademia degli Arcadi and its garden in eighteenth-century Rome'' (Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press).
* Forment, B. (2008) Moonlight on Endymion: In Search of “Arcadian Opera,” 1688-1721, ''Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music'', 14(1). Online: https://sscm-jscm.org/v14/no1/forment.html
* Giorgetti Vichi, A. M. (ed.) (1977) ''Gli Arcadi dal 1690 al 1800: Onomasticon'' (Rome, Arcadia – Accademia Letteraria Italiana). (List of members.)
* Claudio Rendina, ''Enciclopedia di Roma'', Rome: Newton Compton, 2000.
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Of Arcadia
Education in Rome
Italian literature
1690 establishments in Italy
Italian writers' organisations
17th century in Rome