Gysbert Japicx was a Frisian

West Frisian

The West Frisian can mean:* West Frisian language, the language spoken in the Friesland province of the Netherlands* West Frisian dialect, the Hollandic Dutch dialect spoken in the North Holland province of the Netherlands* West Frisians, people...

 writer, poet, schoolteacher and cantor

Cantus

A cantus , is an activity organised by Belgian, Dutch, French, Baltic and Afrikaans student organisations and fraternities. A cantus mainly involves singing traditional songs and drinking beer. It is governed by strict traditional rules...

.

He admired Horace

Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...

 and Ovid

Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

 and was a defender for the memmetaal (mother tongue) which elevated Frisian to a literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 language. His poems are included in Fryske rijmlerye (1688) & Friessche tjerne (1640).

Songs

Japicx' Frisian songs were contrafacta to well known tunes by composers such as Goudimel, Bourgeois, and Pierre Guédron

Pierre Guédron

Pierre Guédron, , was a French singer and composer known for writing Airs de cour ....

. A selection were recorded by Frisian singers and Camerata Trajectina

Camerata Trajectina

Camerata Trajectina is a Dutch early music ensemble.The ensemble was founded in Utrecht in 1974 by Jos van Veldhoven and Jan Nuchelmans...

in 2003.