Benedictus Buns - Character of The Era in Which Buns Lived and Worked

Character of The Era in Which Buns Lived and Worked

Buns lived and worked when the barony of Boxmeer, which was in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands near to the German Rhineland (more specifically the Nieder-Rhein area) was divided into numerous small territories falling under various jurisdictions with the exception of the Calvinistic Republic, known as “Vrije heerlijkheid” (literally "free manor") an autonomous area in the Calvinistic Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Boxmeer had nothing to fear from the Reformation taking place at that time in the Netherlands.

After the peace of Munster in 1648 Catholics in Brabant had been forced to cede their churches to the new religion, but not in the free enclave of Boxmeer, where the Catholic religion could be confessed freely.

The family of the earls Van den Bergh from 's-Heerenberg stimulated a cultural flowering in Boxmeer. Moreover some prosperous families, such as Van Odenhoven, De Raet and Hengst, had build country-seats in Boxmeer such as Leucker, De Weijer, and Elsendock. They brought together with the earls Van den Bergh employment of administrative nature in Boxmeer.

On the instigation and request of Earl Albert Van den Bergh the Flemish Carmelites requested that a Carmelite convent be established in Boxmeer.

Boxmeer was part of the Diocese of Roermond, which by 14 August 1653 granted authorisation to the founding of the convent in Boxmeer.

At the end of 1652 a donation was sealed to the Flemish Carmelites and the Geldern Carmelites by Earl Albert van den Bergh which consists of two hectare grounds located beside the existing parish church at Boxmeer.

Buns, composing mainly religious music, could flourish in Boxmeer unhindered with the support of the Van den Bergh family. Buns composed dedicated music for Madeleine the Cusance, the widow of Earl Albert and for his son, Oswald Van den Bergh. In spite of Buns travelling and his patronage, his music was not broadly spread in the Netherlands, although famous music printers recognised his musical qualities and printed his music, with the exception of Buns' opus VIII - entirely existing from 13 sonatas - which was, however, the only opus published in Amsterdam.

It is probable that because of the Calvinists, Buns's music was not widely appreciated.

Buns did not remain in the Carmelite convent and was a much-travelled man. The Carmelites backed the Reform of Touraine in 1604 and were strongly in favour of integration of art and education in the convent. A Latin school in Boxmeer opened in 1658 answered guarantor for "artes liberales usque ad rhetoricam" (Liberal Arts and rhetoric), which formed a counterbalance against the reform colleges in the Republic.

The earls Van den Bergh considered this Latin school as a scientific centre and a cultural stronghold. But also the Carmelites had to adhere to the "jurisdictiones, praeeminentias et immunitates" (jurisdiction, primacy and immunity) of the earls Van den Bergh and those stood sometimes on the side of the House of Orange.