Xavier María de Munibe e Idiáquez
Encyclopedia
Xavier María de Munibe e Idiáquez, Conde de Peñaflorida (Count of Peñaflorida) (Azkoitia
, 1723—Bergara
, 1785), was an important figure of Enlightenment Spain
. He founded an academy in Bergara
in 1748, which would become the first Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País
, and was one of the founders of the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas.
, where he established contacts with the Society of Jesus
. He returned to Guipuzcoa in 1746, settled in Azkoitia and became a representative in the traditional (or foral
) Provincial Assembly (Diputación) in 1750.
"academy
" to discuss intellectual issues. For years the group maintained a regular program of discussing on mathematics
on Mondays, physics
on Tuesdays, history
and literature
on Wednesdays, geography
on Fridays, and current events on Saturdays. It devoted Thursdays and Sundays to concert
s, including works written by members of the "Gentlemen of Azkoitia" such as Fray José de Larrañaga
. Out of these meetings evolved a more formal association, the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País
. Its incorporation charter and bylaws were presented to the government in 1763 and approved two years later. Peñaflorida, as its main proponent, was selected as its director for life. The three men also created in 1767 the Seminario de Vergara (Bergara). These two institutions proved to be key centers of Spanish Enlightenment thought and science.
(although some attribute this one to Manuel Larramendi). He also wrote the music and libretto
s of two bilingual
(Spanish
-Basque
) comic opera
s, El borracho burlado (1764) and Comedia famosa.
- early music
ensemble established in 1985 as a tribute to the Count.
Azkoitia
Azkoitia is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, in the northern Spain...
, 1723—Bergara
Bergara
Bergara is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain.An Enlightened center of education operated by the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País , it was the place where Faustino Elhuyar discovered wolfram.During the Carlist...
, 1785), was an important figure of Enlightenment Spain
Enlightenment Spain
The Age of Enlightenment came to Spain in the eighteenth century with a new Bourbon dynasty after the decay of the Spanish economy, bureaucracy, and empire in the latter years of the former Habsburg dynasty...
. He founded an academy in Bergara
Bergara
Bergara is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain.An Enlightened center of education operated by the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País , it was the place where Faustino Elhuyar discovered wolfram.During the Carlist...
in 1748, which would become the first Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País
Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País
The Sociedades Económicas de Amigos del País were private associations established in various cities throughout Enlightenment Spain, and to a lesser degree in some of her colonies .-History:The Sociedades Económicas were founded as part of a movement to...
, and was one of the founders of the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas.
Early life
Peñaflorida studied in ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, where he established contacts with the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
. He returned to Guipuzcoa in 1746, settled in Azkoitia and became a representative in the traditional (or foral
Fuero
Fuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
) Provincial Assembly (Diputación) in 1750.
Enlightenment figure
Peñaflorida closely associated with two other men, the Marqués de Narros (José María de Eguía) and Manuel Ignacio Altuna. The three men came to be known as the "Gentlemen of Azkoitia" (los Caballeritos de Azcoitia) and the "Triumvirate of Azkoitia" (el Triunvirato de Azcoitia) and were responsible for promoting Enlightenment thought in Spain. In Peñaflorida's home, they founded an Enlightenment-styleAge of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
"academy
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
" to discuss intellectual issues. For years the group maintained a regular program of discussing on mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
on Mondays, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
on Tuesdays, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
on Wednesdays, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
on Fridays, and current events on Saturdays. It devoted Thursdays and Sundays to concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, including works written by members of the "Gentlemen of Azkoitia" such as Fray José de Larrañaga
José de Larrañaga
Fray José de Larrañaga was a Franciscan monk, organist, maestro de capilla of the Sanctuary of Arantzazu, composer, and active in the Basque musical and cultural movement of the 18th Century.-Life:...
. Out of these meetings evolved a more formal association, the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País
Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País
The Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country also known as La Bascongada or Bascongada Society was born in the XVIII century to promote the cientific, cultural and economical development of the Basque Country.The founding members were the...
. Its incorporation charter and bylaws were presented to the government in 1763 and approved two years later. Peñaflorida, as its main proponent, was selected as its director for life. The three men also created in 1767 the Seminario de Vergara (Bergara). These two institutions proved to be key centers of Spanish Enlightenment thought and science.
Literary work
Peñaflorida was the author of many works in his lifetime. They include Los aldeanos críticos (1758), Ensayo de la Sociedad Bascongada de amigos del país (1766), and Gabon-Sariac (1762) a religious epic dealing with the life of Louise de La VallièreLouise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
(although some attribute this one to Manuel Larramendi). He also wrote the music and libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
s of two bilingual
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
(Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
) comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s, El borracho burlado (1764) and Comedia famosa.
Sources
- Gran Enciclopedia Larousse. Barcelona, Planeta, 1988. ISBN 84-320-7370-9
- Historia de la REal Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del País at Real Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del País
- Xavier María de Munibe e Idiaquez, Conde de Peñaflorida at Real Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del País
- Libretto of El borracho burlado
See also
Capilla PeñafloridaCapilla Peñaflorida
The Capilla Peñaflorida is a Spanish early music group founded in 1985 by Jon Bagüés.The first director was the late José Rada Sereno . Currently musical direction is shared by the founder, the Basque musicologist Jon Bagüés , and by the bass Josep Cabré...
- early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
ensemble established in 1985 as a tribute to the Count.