Žygimantas Liauksminas


Žygimantas Liauksminas Sigismundus Lauxminus was a Lithuanian Jesuit theologian, philosopher, theorist of rhetoric and music, founder of Lithuanian musicology, one of the first Lithuanian professors and rectors of the University of Vilnius.

Biography

Liauksminas joined the Jesuit Order in 1616. In 1618–1619, he studied rhetoric at the. He continued his education at the University of Vilnius studying philosophy in 1619–1621 and theology in 1625–1629. In 1642, Liauksminas became a Doctor of Theology.
Liauksminas taught rhetoric at the Polotsk College and in 1631–1635, philosophy and theology at the University of Vilnius in 1635–1642, philosophy at the Braunsberg College in 1642–1644. Was a rector of the in 1644–1647, Polotsk College in 1650–1655, and Kražiai College in 1661–1665. He was vice-rector and vice-chancellor of the University of Vilnius.
He was a vice-provincial superior of Lithuania in the Jesuit Order. In 1645–1646, he substituted a provincial superior and administered a religious province during the 9th General Congregation. As a general elector from Lithuanian Jesuits, he also participated in the 10th and 11th General Congregations in Rome.

Works

Liauksminas has written theological works, A Theology for the Church, first original Ancient Greek Grammar in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth - Summary of the Greek Textbook.
Most famous work of Ž. Liauksminas - An Oratory Practice and the Rules of the Rhetoric Art. In it he, making references to Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, criticizes the faults of the Baroque literary style - its pomp, fogginess, macaronics and praises sober mind, clarity of thought, structured language. An annex of this book - A Kernel of Dialectics is an introduction to scholastic logic, introducing its main categories and thinking methods. Praxis oratoria sive praecepta artis rhetoricae was widely used in the jesuit schools, issued in Munich, Frankfurt an Main, Cologne, Würzburg, Prague, Vienna, Košice.
He also has written first textbook of music in Lithuania - The Art and Practice of Music. Common fundamentals of music explained - names of the music notes, a scale, clefs; exercises and church music examples included, plainsong, many-voiced, Gregorian, hard and soft chant modes examined.
Žygimantas Liauksminas wrote poems in Ancient Greek, a panegyric to Władysław IV Vasa, sermons. Manuscripts of the tractates of theology About the Single God, A Theologic Tractate about the Law and Justice are also survived.