Daniel Sinapius-Horčička
Encyclopedia
Daniel Sinapius-Horčička was a Slovak
baroque writer, poet, dramatist, composer of hymns and evangelical protestant preacher who lived during the mid 17th century in what is modern Slovakia.
, in the present day Martin District
of the Žilina Region
of northern Slovakia
, though at the time the village was part of Upper Hungary
in the Kingdom of Hungary
. He was born into a family of preachers and after studies in Levoča and Wittenberg, Germany he worked as a preacher and rector of, successively, Jelšava
, Kameňanoch, Liptovská Teplička
and finally . In 1673, during the persecution of Protestants, Sinapius-Horčička was exiled from Hungarian lands. He travelled with his family first to Silesia and then to Nového Bojanova, both of which fell outside of Hungarian jurisdiction but still within the realm of the Habsburgs. After returning from exile in 1683, he worked briefly in Radvan before moving on to Levoča. While in Levoča, Sinapius-Horčička served as a rector, evangelical priest, school inspector, and editor and proofreader of books published in Slovak. Sinapius-Horčička would later die on January 27, 1688 in Levoča
aged 47.
poems and school dramas. However, a large part of his work was devoted to religious baroque
prose, proverbs and select Slovak spiritual poetry. Despite devoting much effort to his Latin works, his Slovak ones have maintained and sustained his reputation more into the modern era. His prose is considered to reflect that national consciousness- lauding the Slovak language and criticizing the lack of patriotism among his fellow Slovaks. He touches on the antiquity of the Slovak nation and the then current Slovak youth. What is very noteworthy in addition to these proto-nationalistic verses, Sinapius-Horčička wrote exclusively in Slovak when many of his Slovak contemporaries were using the more common Slavic literary language of Czech
.
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
baroque writer, poet, dramatist, composer of hymns and evangelical protestant preacher who lived during the mid 17th century in what is modern Slovakia.
Life
Daniel Sinapius-Horčička was born on August 3, 1640 in the village of SučanySucany
Sučany is a village and municipality in Martin District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It is located around 5 km northeast of Martin, in the Váh river valley.-Geography:...
, in the present day Martin District
Martin District
Martin District is a district in the Žilina Region of central Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was part of the Hungarian county of Turiec.- Municipalities :*Belá-Dulice*Benice*Blatnica*Bystrička*Diaková*Dolný Kalník*Dražkovce...
of the Žilina Region
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts .-Geography:It is located in northern Slovakia and has an area of 6,804 km² and a population of 694,763 . The whole area is mountainous, belonging to the Western Carpathians...
of northern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, though at the time the village was part of Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary is the usual English translation for the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia...
in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. He was born into a family of preachers and after studies in Levoča and Wittenberg, Germany he worked as a preacher and rector of, successively, Jelšava
Jelšava
Jelšava is a town and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia.-Geography:The town lies in the Revúcka vrchovina highlands at the border of the Slovak Ore Mountains and Slovak Karst, in the valley of the Muráň river, at an altitude of around 258 m...
, Kameňanoch, Liptovská Teplička
Liptovská Teplicka
Liptovská Teplička is a large village and municipality in Poprad District in the Prešov Region of northern Slovakia.-History:In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1634....
and finally . In 1673, during the persecution of Protestants, Sinapius-Horčička was exiled from Hungarian lands. He travelled with his family first to Silesia and then to Nového Bojanova, both of which fell outside of Hungarian jurisdiction but still within the realm of the Habsburgs. After returning from exile in 1683, he worked briefly in Radvan before moving on to Levoča. While in Levoča, Sinapius-Horčička served as a rector, evangelical priest, school inspector, and editor and proofreader of books published in Slovak. Sinapius-Horčička would later die on January 27, 1688 in Levoča
Levoca
Levoča is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,600. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Renaissance church with the highest wooden altar in Europe, carved by Master Paul of Levoča, and many other Renaissance buildings.On 28 June 2009,...
aged 47.
Work
Daniel Sinapius-Horčička was involved in the writing of LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
poems and school dramas. However, a large part of his work was devoted to religious baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
prose, proverbs and select Slovak spiritual poetry. Despite devoting much effort to his Latin works, his Slovak ones have maintained and sustained his reputation more into the modern era. His prose is considered to reflect that national consciousness- lauding the Slovak language and criticizing the lack of patriotism among his fellow Slovaks. He touches on the antiquity of the Slovak nation and the then current Slovak youth. What is very noteworthy in addition to these proto-nationalistic verses, Sinapius-Horčička wrote exclusively in Slovak when many of his Slovak contemporaries were using the more common Slavic literary language of Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
.
List of Works
(Titles in Slovak)- 1660 – Plesanie neba a zeme (Plausus poli et soli)
- 1676 – Zahradka dušičky pobožné (Hortulus animae piae), prayer books
- 1678 – Nový trh latinsko-slovenský (Neo-forum Latino-Slavonicum), 534 proverbs and sayings from the Bible along with others from the ancient and humanistic periods.
- 1679 – Osud verný vo svete duše (Sors fidelis in mundo animae)
- 1681 – Nestálosť vidiečanovej forúny (Fortunae inconstantia in rustico)
- 1681 – Trojnásobný bič božieho hnevu (Flagellum irae divinae triplex)
- 1682 – Pocta Bojanovu (Coelum Bojanoviense)
- 1683 – Perlička dítek božích, a Slovak catechismCatechismA catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
- 1684 – Cithara sanctorum, contributed to the new edition, which appeared in many German translations. For example:
- Těžká búrka již povstává
- Smrt jest nestydatá obluda
- O milá nevinnosť, jak si potupená
- 1685 – Orbis pictus
- 1686 – Hainov dom - zarmútený Nain (Domus Hain – moesta Nain)
- 1703 – Jádro všech modliteb v nemnohých slovích obsažené…, A posthumously published prayer book