MUSIC IN COMMEDIA DELL’ ARTE

Week Five

Find clues of music in Commedia...

"... there are numerous references to what types of music might have been played on the guitars of Brighella or Scapino. These would have ranged from the popular sarabonde to the ciaccona, or included examples from the Mannerist madrigali, in which music was set to imitazione delle parole (that is, without traditional measures, or verse/chorus formats)."

Sarabande

Handel - Sarabande

Ciaccona

Bach's Ciaccona - Olga Goija (Solo Viola)

Madrigali

A group of musical performers singing traditional Renaissance and medieval music — a cappella madrigals, folk songs, ballads, chants and carols, almost all of it written prior to 1650.

Madrigali seeks to bring this once wildly popular music back to life, not in some stuffy academic setting, but full of spirit, colour, drama, and emotion — romantic, fanciful, bawdy, joyous.

A song form that uses chromatics and close harmonies. 

Madrigali a quattro voci

Tarantella

Tarantella style music.

Moresca Music

Tafelmusik performs Monteverdi, Moresca

Who plays what in Commedia?

Traditionally, the character with the most musical skill isBrighella, he plays anything and sings.

Brighella and his variants are most frequently depicted with musicalinstruments.

The most common instrument is the guitar, followed bythe lute.

After Brighella, the most frequently pictured musician is Scramouche, another Zanni, also playing a guitar.

Very close is Isabella, the innamorata. She always plays the lute. The only two masks who do not show up with instrument in hand is

Capitano and Il Dottore.

However it must be remembered that a lot of the characters were playing instruments that matched the skill set of the actor.

We know the common instruments played through depictions in illustrations.

STRINGS.

GUITAR:Brighella, multiple illustrationsScaramouche by Sand & multiple othersPulcinella by Severini & multiple othersScapino by MinaggioArlecchino by PicassoPierrot by WatteauZanni, multiple, including Fritellino by Callot & FranckenMezzetino (variant of Brighella) by WatteauFlautino (variant of Brighella) by BonnartBuffetto (variant of Brighella) by Cantu'Leandro, the loverIsabella, the lover by Watteau & by Gillot

Strings...

MANDOLIN:Arlecchino by Picasso & multiple othersPierrotColumbinaPulcinella by Marchiore

Strings...

COLASCIONE:Trivellino (variant of Arlecchino) by SandMetzetin (variant of Brighella) by CallotRazullo (variant of Zani) by CallotLucia Mia (variant of Zani) by CallotCoviello by Fr. Bertelli

Strings...

VIOL DA BRACCIA (early violin):multiple Zanni including Zany CornetoScaramouchePierrotLeandro

VIOL DA GAMBA (early cello):multiple Zannimultiple unmasked characters who appear to be musicians

ZITHER:multiple Zanni including by G. Tiepolo & by Callot

CONCERT ZITHER:Zany by GeijnPolichinelle (French variant of Pulcinella) by FruijtiersLeandro, the lover

Winds

FLUTES end-blown or transverse-blown:Brighella,Ottavio, the lover by SandPantalonePulcinella by PicassoMultiple Zanni

RECORDER:Mezzetino by Probst

SHAWM:Pulcinella

PIPE & TABOR:Zanni

BAGPIPE:multiple Zanni

Brass

CORONET:ZanniLeandro, the lover

SACKBUT:musicians

Percussion

DRUMS: various sizes played by hand or drumstickPulcinellaDancers various, mostly female

TAMBOURINE: various sizesFrancishina by CallotBernovalla by Callot