Rederijkers
Rederijkers is a Dutch name for the members of the guilds of poets (Dutch Rederijkerskamer : Redekammer), which existed mainly in Flanders and Holland .
The word Rederijker comes from the Greek rhetorikos (= someone who practices rhetoric ).
history
The first of these guilds emerged, based on the French model, around 1400 in Flanders, which was ruled by Burgundy. Later they spread to Holland. Initially, its members were mostly educated citizens. But since the chambers for the care of poetry were highly valued and privileged by the culture-loving princes of Burgundy and thus gained political influence, nobles soon joined.
The 15th century was its heyday. After 1600 they fell into disrepair. The Calvinism opposed this secular clubs, and the privileges were no longer effective. Some poets' associations still in existence in Belgium see themselves as continuers of the Rederijkerskamers.
The main chambers were located in the cities of Bruges , Ghent , Brussels , Antwerp , Leiden , Haarlem and Amsterdam .
structure
The Rederijkerskamer was under secular patronage of a prince or prince ( prince ), the principal of many poems was. Like every guild, it also had a spiritual patron saint . The chamber was under the direction of a captain (Dutch: hoofdman ), who was assisted by a few deans ( dekens ). The treasurer was called fiscaal . The most important poet or director was called factor .
art
The Rederijker primarily produced occasional poetry in honor or in memory of princes, mayors, etc. There were also comedies , gorges , dramas and ballads for festivals and other public occasions.
Poetry was often moralizing . Technical skills, even virtuosity, were required. The strict adherence to guidelines for rhyme and meter degenerated often made in artificial rhyme and bombastic language. Therefore, art historians often classify rederijker's art as second-rate. But the chambers were also a contribution to the “democratization” of Dutch literature and a breeding ground for poetry. Great Dutch poets such as Pieter C. Hooft and Joost van den Vondel were members of a Rederijkerskamer.
The Dutch national anthem , the Wilhelmus , has some characteristics of a Rederijkers poem in the form.
See also
