“Modern Italian Improvisatori” (London Magazine)

Performer Name:

Sgricci; Taddei

Performance Venue:

Rome; Florence; Venice; Milan

Performance Date:

1818

Author:

 

Date Written:

1820

Language:

English

Publication Title:

The London Magazine

Article Title:

Modern Italian Improvisatori

Page Numbers:

2:560-61

Additional Info:

Nov. 1820 (No. 11)

Publisher:

Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy

Place of Publication:

London

Date Published:

1820

Text:

[560] Modern Italian Improvisatori. — There only existed wandering minstrels and improvisatori in Germany, at the period when Italy possessed her greatest poets; now, while Germany boasts her Goethe, Italy abounds with strolling Musagetae and Improvisatori. It has never been found, that the noblest productions of poetry have sprung up where the soil has been cultivated by the greatest number of labourers: — the muse reserves her most valuable prizes for those contests, to which but few, and select, competitors are admitted; she does not distribute them to a promiscuous multitude thonging [sic] into her sacred groves. The Italians themselves conceive it to be a symptom of the decline of their poetry, that it has fallen into the hands of Improvisatori: yet we must not confound the two classes of these. — There are the street-singers, who undertake to produce extempore versified effusions upon any given subject, and to recite them to music which is equally impromptu; but there are some of a very different description, who deliver their compositions in the Teatro della Valle, and at the Venetian Palace at Rome.

M. Muller, who accompanied the Baron von Sack to Italy, in 1817, with the view of proceeding to Athens, suffered himself, like another Hannibal, to be arrested by the fascinations of Italy: not that he loitered at Capua, or stopped ante portas, for it was Rome itself that proved the impediment to his farther progress. He takes particular notice of two Improvisatori, whom he heard in that city; — Rosa Taddei, — or, according to her Arcadian title, Licori Partenopea, — a girl of no more than seven [sic – a mistake for “seventeen”] years of age; and Tommaso Sgricci of Arezzo, whose academical appellation is Terpandro.

The former gave many Academie, or poetical recitations, at the Teatro della Valle; and the manner of these exhibitions is as follows. At the entrance into the pit, is placed a silver urn, into which every one, as he comes into the house, puts a ticket, where he has written the subject he proposes for the poetess to try her powers on. A simple melody announces her appearance; and the urn is placed upon the stage, when a stranger draws forth a certain number of the tickets, reads the subjects aloud, and then delivers them to the Improvisatore. At the Academia, or meeting held at this theatre on the 24th February, 1818, the following were the arguments which were drawn: — La morte del Conte Ugolino; Saffo e Faone; La Morte d’Ifigenia; la morte d’Egeo; il cinto di Venere; and Coriolano. Previously to the commencement of her [561] recitations, she walked several times up and down the stage; then mentioned a certain number to the musicians, upon which they played an air; after several repetitions of which she at length burst forth into an apparently inspired strain on the subject of Ugolino’s woes — at one time singing, at another declaiming — a style which, to the Italians, who are accustomed to a parlando and a recitativo secco in their operas, might appear harmonious enough. At every new subject she called for different music; and sometimes requested bouts-rimés from the audience, or asked them to propose to her the measure and form of her compositions. At the termination of each piece, she sank exhausted upon a seat, — a state of exaltation and inspiration being succeeded by a kind of swoon, from which, however, the applause of her hearers, and a glass of iced water, never failed to recover her.

Sgricci made his first appearance at Florence; he afterwards recited at Venice and Milan; and, in 1818, gave four Academie at the Venetian Palace in Rome. He delivers his compositions without any musical accompaniment, and possesses such copiousness and fluency of expression, combined with so much self-possession, and is moreover such a master of dramatic imitation, that he not only produces single pieces, or ballads, in which both the subject and measure are given to him, but he frequently asks for tragic scenes which he immediately executes impromptu. On one occasion the subjects given were, Le Nozze di Amore e Psiche in terza rima; La Morte di Saffo in versi sciolti; and La Morte di Socrate, a Tragedy in three acts, with chorusses.

The Academia Tiberina gave an entertainment in honour of this Poet, at which he was presented with a gold medal, It was on this occasion that he recited Coriolano, a composition in blank-verse, and La Morte di Lucretia, a tragedy in three acts, with chorusses, in which he surpassed all his former productions: and if, when transferred to paper, his poetry appear somewhat cold, such is the animation of his gesture and delivery, that he is universally esteemed in Italy as the greatest master in his art. After all, however, improvisatoreship cannot be esteemed as tending to advance poetry; but rather to conduct it in a retrograde direction: it partakes too much of the nature of music, where the sentiment is never delineated with precision, but merely in a vague and general manner.

We should never be able to conceive how the Improvisatori can enter upon a subject with such promptitude, did we not consider that it is generally some common-place from classical mythology and history, with a stock of which they are well provided: it is the same with their dramatic scenes, and we may to-day hear a dying Socrates express himself with the same sentiments and in the manner, which yesterday were given to a dying Seneca. It must, however, be acknowledged that Signor Sgricci distinguishes himself beyond all his competitors for real talent and solid acquirements.

Notes:

Collected by:

EW