Yriarte, Don Thomas de

1750-1791

 

Spanish dramatist; born at Orotava on the island of Teneriffe. He obtained his education in Madrid under the supervision of his uncle, Juan de Iriarte, a scholar who for forty years was head of the Royal Library. His dramatic work began when he was quite young with translating French plays for the Royal Theatre and in 1770 he published a comedy, Hacer que hacemos. In 1780 appeared his didactic poem, La Musica, in five books, which gives evidence of his deep knowledge of music, and gained for him a wide reputation. It is in irregular meter and treats of the elements of music, the various kinds of musical expression, the music of the theatre, of society, and of solitude. The work was translated into Italian by Antonio Garcia in 1789, into French by Grainville in 1800, and into English by John Belfour in 1811.