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Opera dei Pupi
The Opera dei Pupi (Sicilian: opra î pupi in Palermo, Sicilian: opira î pupi in Catania; "Opera of the Puppets") is a marionette theatrical representation of Frankish romantic poems traditionally performed in Sicily, Italy.
Inscribed in the UNESCO's List of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001, it dates back to the third decade of the nineteenth century, and was particularly successful among the middle and lower classes, becoming one of Sicily's most significant expressions of history and cultural identity.
The puppeteers (named pupari) animate the puppets to represent episodes of serialized stories derived from epic-chivalric literature of medieval origin, with particular reference to the Carolingian cycle; and in a more limited manner, from the Arthurian novels. All these stories were elaborated in The History of the Paladins of France, written by Giusto Lo Dico, that is a "compilation of the Italian chivalric poems of the Renaissance in which the French literature of the Middle Ages was freely modified". Published in handouts since 1858, the work written in prose brings together and re-elaborates the poems of cultured literature such as Orlando innamorato, Orlando Furioso and Gerusalemme Liberata.
The traditional repertoire of the shows also include historical-romantic narratives, stories of brigands, works by William Shakespeare such as Romeo and Juliette and Macbeth, and short farces.
It is difficult to establish when and where the Opera dei Pupi was born. "The chronicles say that the initiators of the Opera in Palermo were Don Gaetano Greco (1813–1874) and Don Liberato Canino, while in Catania they were Don Gaetano Crimi (1807–1877) and his antagonist Giovanni Grasso (1792–1863)". The so-called pupi in page (that is, without armor) certainly preceded the armored ones and were used to represent Sicilian tales and farces, which are still performed today. Studies also show that from the 16th century, shows of chivalry were staged with puppets throughout Europe; and in the 18th century such shows also took place in Sicily and Naples (being represented in the theater of Giuseppina d'Errico also known as "Donna Peppa").
However, only in the first decades of the nineteenth century, in Sicily, did the chivalrous repertoire achieve such resounding success as to supplant all the others and determine a series of technical and figurative innovations.
This was probably due to the delayed effect of the pre-romantic and romantic style of the Middle Ages; but it is also a consequence of ingenious technical inventions which made it possible to give extraordinary effectiveness to combat scenes which become a sort of exalting dance, with a crescendo rhythm and which arouses an intense psychomotory participation in the audience.
There are numerous studies dedicated to Sicilian Opera dei pupi. The most recent research by Ignazio E. Buttitta, Bernadette Majorana, Alessandro Napoli and Rosario Perricone followed the historically fundamental contributions of Antonino Buttitta, Antonino Uccello, Janne Vibaek, and Carmelo Alberti. Furthermore, we cannot fail to mention the fundamental studies of Giuseppe Pitrè and Sebastiano Lo Nigro as well as the book entitled Opera dei pupi by Antonio Pasqualino (Sellerio 1977). Narrations and memories of the puppeteers themselves can also be added to this short list.
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Opera dei Pupi
The Opera dei Pupi (Sicilian: opra î pupi in Palermo, Sicilian: opira î pupi in Catania; "Opera of the Puppets") is a marionette theatrical representation of Frankish romantic poems traditionally performed in Sicily, Italy.
Inscribed in the UNESCO's List of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001, it dates back to the third decade of the nineteenth century, and was particularly successful among the middle and lower classes, becoming one of Sicily's most significant expressions of history and cultural identity.
The puppeteers (named pupari) animate the puppets to represent episodes of serialized stories derived from epic-chivalric literature of medieval origin, with particular reference to the Carolingian cycle; and in a more limited manner, from the Arthurian novels. All these stories were elaborated in The History of the Paladins of France, written by Giusto Lo Dico, that is a "compilation of the Italian chivalric poems of the Renaissance in which the French literature of the Middle Ages was freely modified". Published in handouts since 1858, the work written in prose brings together and re-elaborates the poems of cultured literature such as Orlando innamorato, Orlando Furioso and Gerusalemme Liberata.
The traditional repertoire of the shows also include historical-romantic narratives, stories of brigands, works by William Shakespeare such as Romeo and Juliette and Macbeth, and short farces.
It is difficult to establish when and where the Opera dei Pupi was born. "The chronicles say that the initiators of the Opera in Palermo were Don Gaetano Greco (1813–1874) and Don Liberato Canino, while in Catania they were Don Gaetano Crimi (1807–1877) and his antagonist Giovanni Grasso (1792–1863)". The so-called pupi in page (that is, without armor) certainly preceded the armored ones and were used to represent Sicilian tales and farces, which are still performed today. Studies also show that from the 16th century, shows of chivalry were staged with puppets throughout Europe; and in the 18th century such shows also took place in Sicily and Naples (being represented in the theater of Giuseppina d'Errico also known as "Donna Peppa").
However, only in the first decades of the nineteenth century, in Sicily, did the chivalrous repertoire achieve such resounding success as to supplant all the others and determine a series of technical and figurative innovations.
This was probably due to the delayed effect of the pre-romantic and romantic style of the Middle Ages; but it is also a consequence of ingenious technical inventions which made it possible to give extraordinary effectiveness to combat scenes which become a sort of exalting dance, with a crescendo rhythm and which arouses an intense psychomotory participation in the audience.
There are numerous studies dedicated to Sicilian Opera dei pupi. The most recent research by Ignazio E. Buttitta, Bernadette Majorana, Alessandro Napoli and Rosario Perricone followed the historically fundamental contributions of Antonino Buttitta, Antonino Uccello, Janne Vibaek, and Carmelo Alberti. Furthermore, we cannot fail to mention the fundamental studies of Giuseppe Pitrè and Sebastiano Lo Nigro as well as the book entitled Opera dei pupi by Antonio Pasqualino (Sellerio 1977). Narrations and memories of the puppeteers themselves can also be added to this short list.