Os jesuítas e a música em Macau e Pequim: O caso de Pe. Joseph Marie Amiot S.J. (1718-1793)

Abstract

The Diocese of Macau was founded in 1576. In the context of Portuguese ecclesiastical Patronage, a large number of missionaries left Lisbon for the Orient, including a number of musicians, such as padres Tomás Pereira, S.J., Mateus Ricci, S.J., T. Pedrini (Lazarist), K. Slavicek, S.J. and Joseph Marie Amiot, S.J. From 1565 the Jesuits came to have their own headquarters in Macau. In 1583 the China Mission was founded by Ruggieri and Ricci. Particularly worthy of note was Father Tomás Pereira. With regard to the ‘querela dos ritos’ (quarrel over the rites), the papacy came to condemn the controversial ceremonies as idolatrous. However, the Portuguese Jesuits and the Italians defended both the aims of the Patronage and Ricci's interpretation of the rites. The French Jesuits did not recognise Portuguese Patronage. The Propaganda Fide opposed both the rites and the Patronage. A few years later, in 1751, the French Jesuit, Father Joseph Marie Amiot, missionary, astronomer and composer, reached Peiping. In 1776 he sent his Mémoire de la musique des chinois tant anciens que modernes, which was published in 1779. It is the first known publication about Chinese music written by a European.