Constantijn Huygens

Who was Constantijn Huygens?

Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem ( HY-gənz, US also HOY-gənz, Dutch: [ˈkɔnstɑntɛin ˈɦœyɣə(n)s]; 4 September 1596 – 28 March 1687), was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was also secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist Christiaan Huygens. Constantijn Huygens was born in The Hague, the second son of Christiaan Huygens (senior), secretary of the Council of State, and Susanna Hoefnagel, niece of the Antwerp painter Joris Hoefnagel. His brother Maurits and he were educated partly by their father and partly by carefully instructed governors. When he was five years old, Constantijn and his brother received their first musical education. They started with singing lessons, and they learned their notes using gold-coloured 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. Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem, was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer.

Historical significance

Two years later the first lessons on the viol started, followed by the lute and the harpsichord.