Ruzante

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Ruzante , also Ruzzante , stage name of Angelo Beolco (* around 1496 in Pernumia , † March 17, 1541 in Padua ), was an Italian comedy poet .

Life

Angelo Beolco was born around 1496 as the illegitimate son of Gian Francesco Beolco and his housekeeper (her name has not been passed down). Gian Francesco came from a wealthy family of merchants and large landowners and was still a medical student when he entered into a relationship with his housekeeper shortly after she was employed.

The biographical information is vague. Angelo is said to have witnessed the march through the Venetian troops in 1508 as a 12-year-old, who were preparing to occupy Friuli and Lombardy . 1517 he performed his comedy Pastoral for the first time under his stage name Ruzante, and the first version of Parlamento in Venice in 1520 . In 1521 his father gave him the authority to manage his property. In the same year several world premieres followed, for example his comedy Prima Orazione in Asolo , and further works in Venice in 1522 and 1523, on festive occasions such as the wedding of Antonio Grimani, the Doge's nephew . The start of the comedies Lettera a una morosa (in the house of Francesco Donàs, at that time the captain or mayor of Padua) and Betía (possibly also the year before at Antonio Grimani's wedding ) are uncertain . In 1526 Ruzante finally received the inheritance from his father, who had died the year before. In the same year, he appeared probably for the last time as an actor. It is also uncertain that in the same year he fought in the War of the League of Cognac (1526–1530) on the side of the Venetian troops.

In 1527 Beolco and Giustina married Palatino. In 1528 his comedy Seconda Orazione was performed in Altovile, in 1529 in Fosson his Dialogo facetissimo and a new version by the Parlamento . In the latter, grievances such as the lack of payment, the bad treatment of the soldiers, the cowardice of the military commanders and their boasting after their return home in the war of the League of Cognac are addressed. In the same year he acquired land as an agent of his patron and patron Alvise Cornaro. From this point on, other documents testify that Ruzante worked as a proxy for Alvise Cornaros and regulated his business. At a feast at Ippolito d'Este in Ferrara, he performed songs in the dialect of Padua. In the following year he possibly performed a first version of the comedy La Moscheta under the direction of Ariost , and in 1530 his Dialogo secondo possibly followed . In Ferrara he continued to perform as a singer and actor. In 1532, as before with La Moscheta, his comedy La Piovana may have been played for the first time in Ferrara under the direction of Ariost . In 1533 he asked the Doge and the Senate of Venice for permission to print his comedies Vaccaria and Piovana , which were not printed until much later: La Piovana 1548 and La Vaccaria 1551. In 1533, Vaccaria premiered in Padua. In 1536 he wrote the Lettera all'Alvarotto (German letter to Alvarotto ). From 1533 to 1541, his death in Padua, Ruzante probably mainly devoted himself to business matters. Due to his sudden death, the world premiere of Speroni's tragedy Canace (1546), which he was responsible for staging, could not take place until much later.

Ruzante and the dialect of Padua

Sergio Torresani gives three main reasons why Ruzante, also known as Il Ruzante , wrote his comedies exclusively in the dialect of Padua:

  • Macaronic poetry originated in Padua, using Latin that was heavily mixed with elements of the vernacular ( volgare ).
  • The creation of texts in the dialect of Padua became more and more popular (especially in Venice) - initially as a means of making fun of the rural population; later in recognition of the same, as she had played a decisive role in the war of the League of Cambrai (1508-1510) and thereby gained fame.
  • The dialect became popular among students as a polemic against the Latin-speaking schoolmasters.

Works

  • Pastoral (~ 1517)
  • Parlamento (~ 1520)
  • Prima Orazione (1521)
  • Lettera a una amorosa (~ 1524)
  • Betía (~ 1524)
  • Seconda Orazione (1528)
  • Parlamento (second version, 1529)
  • Dialogo secondo (~ 1530)
  • La Piovana (~ 1532)
  • Vaccaria (1533)
  • Lettera al Alvarotto (1536)

Work editions

  • Tre orationi. Venice 1561.

literature

  • Sergio Bullegas: Angelo Beolco. La lingua contestata, il teatro violato, la scena imitata. Edizioni dell'Orso, Alessandria 1993.
  • Klaus Semsch: Maledetta trinità - reflections on the challenge of plurality in the Ruzantes theater. In: Romance journal for the history of literature. Volume 34, 2010, pp. 265-290.
  • Sergio Torresani: Invito alla lettura di Ruzante. Mursia, Milan 1994.

Web links