▁Official ▁website ▁ ▁T iny ▁Des k ▁Con cert ▁Sof ia ▁Re i ▁at ▁All Music ▁ ▁Category : Year ▁of ▁birth ▁missing ▁( l iving ▁people ) ▁Category : L iving ▁people ▁Category : B erk lee ▁College ▁of ▁Music ▁fac ulty ▁Category : Pe ople ▁from ▁Buenos ▁Aires ▁Category : New ▁England ▁Conserv atory ▁al umn i ▁Category : Ar gent ine ▁mus icians <0x0A> </s> ▁The ▁United ▁Provin ces ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands , ▁or ▁simply ▁United ▁Provin ces ▁( o fficial ly ▁the ▁Republic ▁of ▁the ▁Seven ▁United ▁Netherlands ), ▁and ▁commonly ▁referred ▁to ▁histor i ograph ically ▁as ▁the ▁Dutch ▁Republic , ▁was ▁a ▁federal ▁republic ▁formally ▁established ▁from ▁the ▁formal ▁creation ▁of ▁a ▁federal ▁state ▁in ▁ 1 5 8 1 ▁by ▁several ▁Dutch ▁provinces — se ced ed ▁from ▁Spanish ▁rule — until ▁the ▁Bat av ian ▁Revolution ▁of ▁ 1 7 9 5 . ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁prede cess or ▁state ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁fully ▁independent ▁Dutch ▁nation ▁state . ▁ ▁The ▁small ▁republic ▁of ▁around ▁ 1 . 5   mill ion ▁inhabitants ▁distinguished ▁itself ▁by ▁world ▁trade ▁through ▁the ▁Dutch ▁East ▁India ▁Company ▁( V OC ) ▁and ▁the ▁Dutch ▁West ▁India ▁Company ▁( G W C ), ▁by ▁its ▁military ▁campaign s ▁against ▁countries ▁such ▁as ▁Spain ▁and ▁England , ▁by ▁its ▁huge ▁fleet ▁( with ▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁ships , ▁larger ▁than ▁that ▁of ▁England ▁and ▁France ▁combined ), ▁by ▁the ▁fl our ishing ▁of ▁arts