The march of San Ignacio in the Arte of Febrés (1765) as an identity device

Abstract

In the second part dedicated to the Christian doctrine of the Arte de la lengua general del reino de Chile (Lima, 1765) by the Jesuit Andrés Febrés (1734-1790) there are 12 songs of which 3 are dedicated to various saints of the order. One of them is the march “Fundador sois, Ignacio” that is sung until now in nearly all the houses, schools and training institutions supported by Jesuits of Hispanic origin. In the 20th century, the French and military origin of its melody was proposed, dating from the mid 18th century; however, the antecedents of its text faded before the 19th century. The process of adaptation, adoption and practice of this march is related to the inherited territories of the ancient Pyrenean kingdoms and counties that constituted the “marca hispánica” of which the Basques, Navarrese and Catalans were part. Apparently, this inclusion of the “Marcha de San Ignacio, Fundador sois” associated with Jesuit catechism in Chilean Araucanía in the mid-18th century constitutes its earliest mention, but it could also later constitute one of the first identity devices in music in these types of sources.