Spain in the Enlightenment

Abstract

With the coming to power in Spain of the French Bourbon family at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the doors to Spanish society and culture — long closed to many developments of Spain’s European neighbours — were flung open to admit a torrent of new ideas, philosophies and cultural trends. Philip V, the grandson of Louis XIV, introduced the Spanish court to the latest rage in France — the contredanse, the danse a bal and the danse a deux. All members of high society were expected to be familiar with the latest dances and their steps: French fashions, hairstyles and courtly manners found their way into Spanish life. French neo-classical thought set in motion a series of reforms in the Spanish theatre and in literature. Italian operatic and virtuoso instrumental styles rapidly inundated the Iberian peninsula. The passion for opera shared by Philip V and his son Ferdinand VI not only helped to shape tastes in the Spanish musical theatre but also left its indelible mark on sacred music. The inclusion of Italian theatrical styles in sacred compositions provoked a score of polemics. In fact, the issue of morality as it related to all of these foreign influences was hotly debated. These foreign intrusions met with stubborn resistance in some Spanish circles, especially among the middle class which flourished under the new economic policies of Charles III.