Alessandro Tassoni
Encyclopedia
Alessandro Tassoni was an Italian
poet and writer.
, to a noble family. In 1597, he began his service for the cardinal
Colonna whom he followed to Spain
. In 1603 he was back in Italy and moved to Rome
.
In 1612 he published anonymously the booklet Le Filippiche in which he attacked the Spanish
domination of Italy
. Though he always denied having written it (probably for fear of Spanish retaliation), the work became famous enough to ingratiate Tassoni to the Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
, who, in 1618 hired him in Turin
with the title of first secretary.
After this, Tassoni was with the cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in 1626 and served under Francesco I d'Este
, duke of Modena, in 1635.
He died in Modena. His fellow citizens remembered his life and work with a statue that can still be seen in front of the town symbol, the Ghirlandina.
poem La secchia rapita
(The Rape of the Bucket): it is by virtue of this work that he is remembered as Modena's poet laureate
.
in 1622. The poem is loosely based on a 14th century war between Modena
and Bologna
, but the central episode, in which the Modenese steal a bucket from their rivals, is completely fictitious.
As a result of the theft an extremely complicated war erupts, where even the Olympian gods take part (this is in the tradition of classical poems such as Homer
's Iliad
) and is eventually resolved by the intervention of the Pope
.
The narration is dotted by references to situations and persons contemporary to the author, and with farcical appearances such as the "Conte di Culagna" (Count of Ass-land) probably the best known character of the book. In the third chapter of the poem, armies from all over the country arrive to take part in the war, and the Conte of Culagna makes his first appearance:
This roughly translates to:
(*)The feathers recall the peacock and its vanity, the horns are the traditional symbol of the cuckold.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
poet and writer.
Life
He was born in ModenaModena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, to a noble family. In 1597, he began his service for the cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Colonna whom he followed to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In 1603 he was back in Italy and moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
In 1612 he published anonymously the booklet Le Filippiche in which he attacked the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
domination of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Though he always denied having written it (probably for fear of Spanish retaliation), the work became famous enough to ingratiate Tassoni to the Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I , known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630...
, who, in 1618 hired him in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
with the title of first secretary.
After this, Tassoni was with the cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in 1626 and served under Francesco I d'Este
Francesco I d'Este
Francesco I d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1629 until his death. The eldest son of Alfonso III d'Este, he became reigning duke after his father's abdication.-Biography:...
, duke of Modena, in 1635.
He died in Modena. His fellow citizens remembered his life and work with a statue that can still be seen in front of the town symbol, the Ghirlandina.
Work
Besides the above mentioned "Filippiche", and other works, some of poetry and some of literary criticism (such as the Varieta' di pensieri di Alessandro Tassoni - Diverse meditations by A.T.), Tassoni is best known as the author of the mock-heroicMock-heroic
Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature...
poem La secchia rapita
La secchia rapita
La secchia rapita is a mock-heroic epic poem by Alessandro Tassoni based on the real-life event of the same name, War of the Oaken Bucket was first published in 1622 . It tells of a war between the Italian cities of Modena and Bologna over the possession of a wooden bucket...
(The Rape of the Bucket): it is by virtue of this work that he is remembered as Modena's poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
.
La secchia rapita
La secchia rapita (The Stolen Pail) was written by Tassoni between 1614 and 1615 and first published in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1622. The poem is loosely based on a 14th century war between Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
and Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, but the central episode, in which the Modenese steal a bucket from their rivals, is completely fictitious.
As a result of the theft an extremely complicated war erupts, where even the Olympian gods take part (this is in the tradition of classical poems such as Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
) and is eventually resolved by the intervention of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
The narration is dotted by references to situations and persons contemporary to the author, and with farcical appearances such as the "Conte di Culagna" (Count of Ass-land) probably the best known character of the book. In the third chapter of the poem, armies from all over the country arrive to take part in the war, and the Conte of Culagna makes his first appearance:
[...]
Quest'era un cavalier bravo e galante,
filosofo poeta e bacchettone
ch'era fuor de' perigli un Sacripante,
ma ne' perigli un pezzo di polmone.
Spesso ammazzato avea qualche gigante,
e si scopriva poi ch'era un cappone,
onde i fanciulli dietro di lontano
gli soleano gridar: - Viva Martano. -
Avea ducento scrocchi in una schiera,
mangiati da la fame e pidocchiosi;
ma egli dicea ch'eran duo mila e ch'era
una falange d'uomini famosi:
dipinto avea un pavon ne la bandiera
con ricami di seta e d'or pomposi:
l'armatura d'argento e molto adorna;
e in testa un gran cimier di piume e corna.
[...]
This roughly translates to:
[...]
He was a brave and gallant knight
A philosopher a poet and a moralist,
A devil out of the fight,
A meek guy when close to peril.
He often claimed he had killed a giant,
which was then discovered to be a chicken,
and for this the kids, seeing him approaching,
would follow him shouting "Long live Martano!"
He had two hundred armed men,
hungry and lousy;
but he claimed it was an army of two thousand
famous knights;
his coat of arms was a peacock,
his armour silver;
on the head he wore an helmet decorated with feathers
and horns(*)
[...]
(*)The feathers recall the peacock and its vanity, the horns are the traditional symbol of the cuckold.