Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni (October 9, 1663March 8, 1728) was an Italian

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gover ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

. Crescimbeni was a founding member and leader of the erudite literary society of

Accademia degli Arcadi The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History F ...

in Rome.

Biography

Born in

Macerata Macerata () is a city and '' comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza r ...

, which was then part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

, and educated by a French priest at

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 ...

, he entered the Jesuits' college of his native town, where he produced a tragedy on the story of Darius, and versified the ''

Pharsalia ''De Bello Civili'' (; ''On the Civil War''), more commonly referred to as the ''Pharsalia'', is a Roman epic poem written by the poet Lucan, detailing the civil war between Julius Caesar and the forces of the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Gr ...

''. In 1679 he received the degree of doctor of laws, and in 1680 he moved again to Rome. The study of Vincenzo Filicaja and Niccolò Leonico having convinced him that he and all his contemporaries were working in a wrong direction, he resolved to attempt a general reform. In 1690, in conjunction with fourteen others, he founded the celebrated

Academy of Arcadians The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History F ...

, and began the contest against false taste and its adherents. The academy was most successful; branch societies were opened in all the principal cities of Italy; and the influence of

Giambattista Marino Giovanni Battista was a common Italian given name (see Battista for those with the surname) in the 16th-18th centuries. It refers to " John the Baptist" in English, the French equivalent is "Jean-Baptiste". Common nicknames include Giambattista, G ...

, opposed by the simplicity and elegance of such models as

Angelo di Costanzo Angelo di Costanzo (1591), Italian historian and poet, was born at Naples around 1507. Life He lived in a literary circle, and fell in love with the beautiful Vittoria Colonna Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pesc ...

, soon died away. Crescimbeni officiated as secretary to the Arcadians for thirty-eight years. In 1705 he was made

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Santa Maria in Cosmedin; in 1715 he obtained the chief curacy attached to the same church; and about two months before he died (1728) he was admitted a member of the order of Jesus. His principal work is the ''Istoria della volgar poesia'' (1698), an estimate of all the poets of Italy, past and contemporary, which may yet be consulted with advantage. The most important of his numerous other publications are the ''Commentarii'' (5 volumes, 1702–1711), and ''La Bellezza della volgar poezia'' (1700).

Works

* ''Istoria della volgar poesia'' (1698) * ''Trattato della bellezza della volgar poesia'' (1700) * ''La bellezza della volgar poesia'', (1702 - 1712) * ''L' Arcadia del canonico Gio. Mario Crescimbeni custode della medesima Arcadia, di nuovo ampliata, e pubblicata d'ordine della Generale Adunanza degli Arcadi, colla giunta del Catalogo de' medesimi'' (1711) * ''L'istoria della chiesa di S. Giovanni avanti Porta Latina, titolo cardinalizio, scritta da Gio. Mario Crescimbeni Canonico di S. Maria in Cosmedin'' (1716) * ''Comentarj del canonico Gio. Mario Crescimbeni custode d'Arcadia intorno alla sua Istoria della volgar poesia. Volume secondo parte prima contenente l'ampliazione del secondo libro dell'Istoria, mediante le vite, i giudizi, e i saggi de' poeti provenzali, che furono padri della detta poesia volgare'' (1722) * ''Le Vite degli Arcadi illustri / scritte da diversi autori, pubblicate d'ordine della Generale Adunanza da Giovan Mario Crescimbeni'' (1708-1727) * ''Poesie d'

Alessandro Guidi Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

pavese con la sua vita descritta da Gio. Mario Crescimbeni e due ragionamenti di Vincenzo Gravina'' * ''L'istoria della basilica di s. Anastasia titolo cardinalizio, scritta da Gio. Mario Crescimbeni arciprete di s. Maria in Cosmedin, e custode generale d'Arcadia'' (1722) * ''Serie cronologica dei cardinali diaconi dei prelati vicarii degli arcipreti e canonici e di altri componenti il capitolo della persigne basilica di

Santa Maria in Cosmedin The Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin or ''de Schola Graeca'') is a minor basilica church in Rome, Italy. It is located in the rione of Ripa. History According to Byzantine historian Andrew Ekonom ...

'' * ''Notizie istoriche della sacra immagine della beatissima Vergine. Titolare della basilica di S. Maria in Cosmedin di Roma, estratte per maggior comodo de' divoti dall'Istoria, e dallo Stato di essa basilica di Gio. Mario Crescimbeni arciprete delle medesima. All'eminentissimo ... cardinale

Alessandro Albani Alessandro Albani (15 October 1692 – 11 December 1779) was a Roman Catholic cardinal, but should be best remembered as a leading collector of antiquities, dealer and art patron in Rome. He supported the art historian, Johann Joachim Winckelmann ...

'' (1722) * ''L' Elvio favola pastorale d'Alfesibeo Cario pastore, e custode d'Arcadia. Alla gentiliss. e valorosiss. pastorella arcade Amaranta Eleusina'' (1695) * ''Rime di Alfesibeo Cario custode d'Arcadia. Col catalogo, e chiaue de' pastori Arcadi nominati in questa, e in altre opere dell'istesso autore'' (1695) * ''Vita di Monsignor Gabbriello Filippucci Maceratese, scritta da Giovan Mario Crescimbeni'' (1698) *
Notizie istoriche degli Arcadi morti
' (1721)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crescimbeni 1663 births 1728 deaths Italian poets Italian male poets People from Macerata Italian literary critics Italian male non-fiction writers 17th-century Italian writers 18th-century Italian writers 18th-century Italian male writers Members of the Academy of Arcadians