I costumi teatrali per gli intermezzi del 1589 (Theatrical costumes for the intermezzos of 1589)

Theater, music and costumes at the Medici court

The essay published in 1859 by Aby Warburg, I costumi teatrali per gli intermezzi del 1589 (Theatrical costumes for the intermezzos of 1589), for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the reform of opera in music in Florence, has been re-published by Electa, which acquired (2020) the publishing house Abscondita. It was the comedy entitled La Pellegrina (The Pilgrim), performed on the occasion of the wedding between Grand Duke Ferdinando I dei Medici and Cristina di Lorena, celebrated in May 1589, that gave prominence to musical interludes that were in harmony with the stage setting and acting. The fusion between music and theatrical scenography began, anticipating the musical drama or opera in music. For that comedy were made theatrical clothes of extraordinary refinement, in the choice of fabrics and colors, designed by Bernardo Buontalenti, architect and artist of the court, inspired by mythological characters of the Greek theater and made by the most skilled artisans weavers and tailors active in the palace.

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