Constantijn Huygens
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Constantijn Huygens (September 4, 1596 - March 28, 1687) was a Dutch poet and composer, Secretary to two Princes, and the father of Christiaan Huygens.
He is often considered a member of what is known as the Muiderkring, a group of leading intellectuals around Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, who met regularly at the castle of Muiden near Amsterdam. However, Huygens probably only visited on occasion.
Huygens is arguably one of the most prolific poets of the Golden Age. He was also Secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederik Hendrik and Willem II.
Near The Hague in the neighboring town Voorburg, Huygens built a small villa, called Hofwijck (Vitaulium in Latin), meant as a get-away from the Royal Court in The Hague. As a man of his era, Huygens played a large number of instruments (lute, jet ear, gamba, harpsichord) for which he wrote a large number of musical pieces. He saw his love for music as more important than his literary activities, which he wrote in his limited free time. He is burried in the [Grote Kerk] in the Hague, together with — among other relatives — his son Christiaan Huygens.
In 1947 a litary award was created, the [Constantijn Huygens Award], to honor his legacy.
Biographical notes on Constantijn Huygens
Constantijn Huygens was born on 4 September 1596 in The Hague, as the second son of Christiaan Huygens (senior) - secretary of Council of State - and Suzanna Hoefnagel. The name Constantijn refers to the constantia, the steadfastness of the city in their freedom fight against oppression (Constantijn's godparents were various mayors of Breda).
Constantijn received an in-depth education and he turned out to be already a gifted child in his youth. He was home schooled by his father this way, who had his own ideas on education methods, and he kept his children at home. They were educated partly by their father and partly by carefully instructed governors. When he was five years old, Constantijn and his brother Maurits received their first music education. They started with singing lessons, and they learned their notes using gold colored buttons on their jackets. It is striking, that Christiaan senior imparted the ' modern ' system of 7 note names to the boys, instead of the traditional, but much more complicated hexachord system. Two years later the first lessons on the viol started, followed by the lute and the harpsichord. Constantijn showed a particular acumen for the lute. Already at eleven he was asked to play for groups, and later — during his diplomatic travels — his lute playing was in demand, when he was asked to play at the Danish Court and for James I of England, although they were not known for their musical abilities.
Constantijn also had a talent languages. He learned French, Latin and Greek, and at a later age Italian and English. He learned by pratice, a modern education way of learning a technique. At eleven he wrote his first verse in Latin, but his parents were keen that he would not become a bookworm. For them it was more important that he would become a well-educated citizen, versatile in various sports. For this reason he also how to ride, fence signs and mould. This background made his education into a standard of a humanistic upbringing. Apart from a brother, Maurits, Constantijn also had four sisters : Elisabeth (†1612, 14 years old), Catharina (†1618, 17 years old), Geertruyd (3 years younger than Constantijn) and Constantia (6 years younger than Constantijn). The education of the daughter was aimed at their preparation for marriage and motherhood. They learned to read, write and they were taught French. It was usual that the women had the control over the household.
Constantijn's mother Suzanna was from Antwerp. In his play Trijntje Cornelis (1653) Huygens wrote of Antwerp, which he knew from his mother and the visits to Antwerp, very beautiful and striking weather. In the period of Pax Hispanica Constantijn received education in maths, law and logic and he learned how to handle a pick and a musket. In 1614 he is taught Pieter the Vooys to play the Harpsichords/Spinet. Also in 1614 writes his first Dutch poem, inspired by the French poet Du Bar Case, in which he praises the life on the land. In his early 20-s, he falls in love with Dorothea. Their relationship does hold, and when Dorothea meets someone else, Constantijn is hurt.
In 1616, Maurits and Constantijn start at Leiden University. Studying in Leiden is primarily seen as way to build a social network. Shortly after, Maurits is already called back to come work for his father. Constantijn finished his studying in 1617 and returns home. Constantijn follows a short training (6 weeks) with Antonis de Hubert, a lawyer in Zierikzee. De Hubert was someone committed to language and writing. In 1623 he even held consultations with Hooft, Reael and Vondel concerning language and orthography. In the Spring of 1618 Constantijn gets a place in the following of Sir Dudley Carleton, the English envoy at the Court in The Hague. In the summer Huygens stas in London in the house of the Dutch ambassador, Noël the Caron. Here he gets to know many people and he learns English.
In 1620, towards the end of the Pax Hispanica, Huygens travels as a secretary of ambassador François Aerssen to Venice, to search support against the new war threat. His knowledge of Italian gives him a good position within the convoy. In 1621 he travels as a secretary of six envoys of the United Provinces to the United Kingdom.
In 1619 Constantijn came in contact with Anna Roemers Visscher and with Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. With Anna Huygens exchanged many poems. In 1621 a poem exchange with Hooft also starts. Both try exceed each other. In October of that year Huygens sent Cats a large poem in Dutch, 't Voorhout. In December he starts writing 't Kostelick Mal, a satirical treatment of the nonsense of the current vogue. This is according to Huygens characterising the inconstantia, with which sober, Christian people want nothing to do. When Constantijn stays in 1622 as a diplomat for more than one year in United Kingdom, he is knighted by James I.
In 1623 Huygens writes his Printen a description of several characteristics of people. This satirically, moralising work belongs to the most difficult of Huygens pems. In the same year Maria Tesselschade and Allard Crombalch are married. For this occasion verses are written by Huygens, Hooft and Vondel. During the festival Constantijn flirts with Machteld of Camps. As a result of this he writes the poem Vier en Vlam.
In 1625 the work Otia, or Ledige Uren, is printed, in which his poems are collected. This is the end of Constantijn's formative years, and the end of his youth. Huygens is employed as a secretary to Frederik Hendrik, who — after the death of Maurtis of Orange — is appointed as stadtholder. In 1616 Constantijn falls in love with Suzanna van Baerle. Earlier courtship by the Huygens family to win her for Maurits, had failed. Constantijn wrote several sonnets for her, in which calls her Sterre (Star). They wed on 6 April 1627.
Huygens describes their marriage in Dagh-werck, a description of one day. He worked on this piece, which counts almost 2000 lines, during the entire time they were married. The couple has five children: in 1628 their first zoon, Constantijn, born , in 1629 Christiaan Christiaan, in 1631 Lodewijk and in 1632 Philips. In 1637 Suzanna born, shortly after the birth their mother dies.Huygens starts a successful career, in spite of pain of the death of his wife (1633). In 1630 he is appointed as Council and Exchequer, managing the estate of the Orange family. This job provides him with an income of about 1000 florins a year. In that same year he buys the estate Zuilichem and he is known as Lord of Zuilichem. In 1632 Lodewijk XIV of France appoints him as knight in the Order of Saint-Michel. In 1643 he is granted the honor of displaying a golden lily on a blue field in his coat of arms. In 1634 Huygens receives a piece property in The Hague on the North side of Binnenhof from Fredrik Hendrik. The piece of land was near the property of a good friend of Huygens, Earl Johan Maurits of Nassau, who — around the same time — buids his house, the Mauritshuis there. Constantijn's house has three statues on the pediment; three women who protray the standards of good construction: symmetry, strength and ease.
In this period Huygens is in contact with several kindred spirits. At the start of the 1630-s he is in touch with René Descartes. He also is in touch with P.C. Hooft (he assesses his Historiën) and Rembrandt. He writes poetry, and because of his interest for the poetry of John Donne, he translates his poems. Huygens also continues to compose music.
After the death of his wife Suzanna, his cousin Catharina Sweerius takes control of the household. Constantijn cannot write poetry for months because of his anguish over his wife's death. Eventually he composes, inspired by Petrarca, the sonnet Op de dood van Sterre (On the death of Sterre). He adds the poem to his Dagh-werck, which he leaves unfinished: the day he has described has not ended yet, but his Sterre is already dead. After he sent the unfinished work to different friends for approval , he publishes it eventually in 1658 as part of his Koren-bloemen.
After a couple of years as a widower, Huygens buys a piece land in Voorburg, and he commissions [Hofwijck] to be build. Hofwijck is inaugurated in 1642 in the company of friends and relatives.Here Huygens hopes to escape the activities of The Hague, which is indicated by the name of the house: Hof (=Court) Wijck (=avoid). In that same year, his brother Maurits dies. With the hurt still fresh, Huygens hardly writes any Dutch poerty, but he keeps busy by writing epigrammes in Latin. Shortly afterwards, he starts writing Dutch pun poems, which are very playful by nature.
In 1644-'45 Huygens writes more serious work. As a new year's present for Leonore Hellemans. he composes the Heilige Daghen, a series of sonnets on the Christian holidays. In 1647 another work, in which play and seriousnss are united, Ooghentroost, addressed to Lucretia of Trello, who was losing her sight and who was already half blind. The poem was offered as consolation.
In 1645 Constantijn Jr. and Christiaan start their studies in Leiden. In these years Frederik Hendrik, conqueror of cities and Huygens' confidant and protector, becomes more and more ill. In 1647 he dies . The new stadtholder Willem II has much appreciation for Huygens and he gives him the estate of Zeelhem. In 1650 two years after the end of Eighty Years' War, Willem II dies. His successor Willem III of Oranje-Nassau is born a week later. William's death is the beginning of the First Stadtholder Free era.
In 1650-1652 Huygens writes the poem Hofwijck in which he describes the joys of living outside the city. It is though that Huygens wrote his poetry was written as a testament to himself, a memento mori, because Huygens lost so many dear friends and family during this time: Hooft (1647), Barlaeus (1648), Maria Tesschelschade (1649) and Descartes (1650).
With the start of stadtholder free era, there was less work for Huygens as a secretary. The widow of Frederik Hendrik, Amalia van Solms, was decreasingly impressed by him. The emphasis of Huygens' activities moved more and more to his presidency of the Council of the house of Orange. He travels frequently during that time for his work.
He still tries to find time to publish more of his work. In 1647 a number of musical creations by Huygens, Pathodia sacra et profana, is published in Paris. It contains some compositions in Latin on the words of psalms in French and Italian amorous wordly texts. The work is dedicated to the pretty niece, Utricia Ogle, of an English diplomat.
In 1648 Huygens writes Twee ongepaerde handen for a harpsichord. This work is, however, connected with Marietje Casembroot, a twenty-five year old harpsichord player, with whom he could share his love for music.
During this time Huygens tries to find governmental jobs for his sons. Christiaan, however, aspires no administrative function. He has put his mind to science and he has gained a global reputation by now. In 1657 his son Philips dies after a short sickness during a Grand Tour in Prussia. In that same year Huygens becomes seriously ill, but he heals in a miraculous manner.
Around Christmas the collected work of his Dutch poems, the Koren-bloemen appears. Some of its contents contain: Heilighe them (1645), Ooghen-troost (1647), Hofwijck (1653) and Trijntje Cornelis (1653). This last work, Trijntje Cornelis, is an explosion of Huygens' creativity. It testifies to the rare language- and expression capacity of the author. Considering that the piece was written in a rather short time, it can be considered work of an enormous performance.
In 1660 his daughter Suzanna marries her cousin, Philips Doublet, son of Huygens' sister Geertruijd. In 1661, a grandfather by now, Huygens is sent to France by the circle of tutors of William III, to recover possession of the county of Orange. As a result the county region is returned to the family of Orange-Nassau in 1665 and Huygens returns to the Netherlands.
In 1667 the States of Holland abolisch the stadtholdership with an Eternal Edict. Huygens was not in favor of this solution. In the next year, William III is created the first Noble of Zeeland.
The year 1672 becomes a Annus horribilis for the Netherlands. From the south the states are attacked by the French king, who penetrates to Utrecht, where he is stopped by The Dutch Water Line. From sea England and France attacked, but they were stopped by the fleet of Holland. And from the east the Bishop of Münster attacked the North east and besieged the city of Groningen in the summer. Under the guidance of Prince of Orange, the enemies were dissipated in two years. The jobless sons of Huygens now get the chance of getting hold of a relation. Constantijn Jr. is appointed as a secretary of Willem III and Lodewijk is appointed as Landdrost of Gorcum, but he is accused in 1676 because of exaction. During the calamity year the second edition of the Koren-bloemen appears, the collected work contains 27 books. New in this edition are the Zee-straet, the Mengelingh (a section of serious poems written after 1657) and seven books with snel-dichten (quick poems). As he is older now, Huygens find refuge in music. He has written about 769 composities during in his life.
In 1676 Michiel the Ruyter dies. In March 1677 his embalmed body is added to a grave in the Nieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam). Huygens is present as a president of the princely field Council and as representative of the house of Orange. In that same year Willem III marries Mary II of England, daughter of the Duke ofYork.
In 1680 Constantijn Jr. moves out of the house of his father with his family. Top stop the gossiping which started shortly afterwards, Huygens write the poem Cluijs-werck, in which he shows a glimpse of the latter stages of his life.
Constantijn Huygens dies on Good Friday, March 28, 1687 at the age of 90. A week later he is burried in the Grote Kerk in the Hague.
Bibliography
- Spaense wijsheit (without year)
- 1621 Batava Tempe, dat is 't Voor-hout van 's-Gravenhage
- 1623 De uytlandighe herder
- 1622 Kerkuria mastix, satyra, Dat is, 't costelick mal
- 1624 Stede-stemmen en dorpen
- 1624 Zedeprinten
- 1625 Otiorum libri sex
- 1638 Dagh-werck
- 1641 Ghebruyck en onghebryck van 't orgel
- 1644 Momenta desultoria (republished in 1655)
- 1647 Eufrasia, Ooghentroost. Aen Parthenine, bejaerde maecht, over de verduysteringh van haer een ooghe
- 1647 Heilighe daghen
- 1647 Pathodia sacra et profana
- 1653 ''Trijntje Cornelis'
- 1653 Vitaulium. Hofwijck, Hofstede vanden Heere van Zuylichem onder Voorburgh
- 1656-1657 translated proverbs
- 1658 Korenbloemen (republished in 1672)
- 1667 Zee-straet
- 1841 Cluys-werck (published by W.J.A. Jonckbloet)
External links
- [The Constantijn Huygens Web] - collection of poems
- [Hofwijck]
- [Constantijn Huygens in the digital library of Dutch Linguistics]
- [Correspondence of Constantijn Huygens]
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