Accademia Dell'Arcadia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", is an Italian literary
academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
founded in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
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 (; 18 December O.S. 8 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 8 December1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from ...
, 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 music, Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan sch ...
, Alessandro Stradella and
Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , ; ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an List of Italian composers, Italian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque music, Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of Sonata a ...
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'). For the next two hundred years, the Academy remained a leading cultural institution. The first solemn gathering of the Arcadians was held on the
Janiculum The Janiculum (; ), occasionally known as 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 the pro ...
hill, in a wood belonging to the Reformed Minorites, on 5 October 1690. 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 Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
s,
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
,
Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
and Pan, the Academy chose as its emblem the pipe of Pan with its seven unequal reeds. The fourteen founders selected Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni as the first ''Custode di Arcadia'' or president of the academy. He 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 and the poet Vincenzo Leonio.


Orsini Gardens & Beyond

In 1692, the meetings were transferred to the gardens of Duke Orsini on the
Esquiline The Esquiline Hill (; ; ) 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 that the hill was named after the ...
hill; in 1696, to the Farnese Gardens on the
Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.
. Finally, the generosity of
John V of Portugal ''Dom (title), Dom'' John V (; 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 until his death in 1750. His reig ...
, 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. He was a rival ...
. 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) 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 Hornbl ...
', 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 (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient 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. Despite doubts about his autho ...
and Dante, while that of Crescimbeni was more influenced by
Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest Renaissance humanism, humanists. Petrarch's redis ...
. 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's disparagement of
Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
), although the Academy did receive some endorsement for its attack on the redundant
Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
style, then dominant in art and literature. The celebrated opera librettist Pietro Metastasio (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, 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. Margherita Sparapani Gentili Boccapadule was also a member.


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 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 d'Aquino, Carlo Alessandro Guidi, Petronilla Paolini Massimi, Benedetto Menzini, librettist Pietro Metastasio,
Francesco Redi Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an Italians, 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 perso ...
, Paolo Rolli, and linguist
Clotilde Tambroni Clotilde Tambroni (29 June 1758 – 2 June 1817) was an Italian philologist, linguist and poet. She was a professor in the Greek language at the University of Bologna in 1793–1798, and a professor in Greek and literature in 1800–1808.G. Melzi ...
, 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 composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
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, next to the church of Sant'Agostino in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. 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 R ...
. ''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