Bosinada
Encyclopedia
The bosinada or bosinata (pl. bosinade, bosinad, or bosinate) was a traditional, popular poetic genre in Milanese dialect that began in the 18th century or earlier and reached its apex in the late 19th century. "Bosinate" were usually written or printed on sheets of paper and recited by a sort of cantastorie or minstrel called a bosin ([bu'zĩ:], pl. bositt); they were usually satyrical in content, sometimes explicitly designed to hold someone up to ridicule, or to debunk certain social habits or circumstances; in any case, they were the expression of the naive but sound good sense of the common people.
), as Ambrose was a prominent symbol of Milan. Other explanations of the term nevertheless exist. In Milanese dialect, a bosin is also someone who comes from Brianza
, and G. Crespi reports that the terms is also used more specifically to refer to that part of the Milanese countryside that lies between the Ticino
river, the Lambro
river, and the mountaines of Varese
, and that it directly derives from the name of the Bozzente creek, which was known as Bosintio in the past. These etymologies would thus establish a connection between the bosinata and the rural areas surrounding of Milan, which might make sense as the bosinate were conceived as a coarse, uneducated form of poetry that the Milanese might associate with the vulgar people of the "contado
". More specifically, scholar Bernardino Biondelli suggests that the first bosin were actually from Milan, but that they deliberately adopted a language inspired by that spoken in the rural areas outside Milan, to emphasize the naive character of their compositions.
characteristics. Some of the earliest printed bosinate were composed by Gaspare Fumagalli around 1723. Collections of early bosinate were edited, among others, by Francesco Cherubini and Ferdinando Fontana.
In the 19th century the bosinada was so popular that even major Milanese dialectal poets such as Carlo Porta
would occasionally refer to themselves as "bositt", possibly as a statement of modesty. Bosinade also make occasional appearances in the plots of the stories and poems from these authours; in La Ninetta del Verzee ("Ninetta of the Verziere
") by Porta, for example, the main character Ninetta hires a bosin to write a composition on her lover, who mistreats and exploits her, to hold him up to ridicule as a form of revenge.
Bosinate continued until the early 20th century. Some of the last known bosinade include La Balonada by Gaetano Crespi (1907), about a hot air balloon
race, or Delagrange volerà! ("Delagrange will fly") on the flight experiments by Léon Delagrange
.
itself was not fixed, and sometimes different meters were used in the same poem; in fact, irregular verses were quite common, as this reflects the popular and coarse nature of bosinade. "Ottonari" (octameter
s) and "endecasillabi" (hendecasyllable
s) were the most recurring meters. Verses usually came in rhyming couplet
s.
Etimology
Most scholars agree that the word "bosin" comes from Ambroeus (Milanese for AmbroseAmbrose
Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
), as Ambrose was a prominent symbol of Milan. Other explanations of the term nevertheless exist. In Milanese dialect, a bosin is also someone who comes from Brianza
Brianza
thumb|250px|The [[Corni di Canzo]].Brianza is a geographical area at the foot of the Alps, in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy.-Geography:...
, and G. Crespi reports that the terms is also used more specifically to refer to that part of the Milanese countryside that lies between the Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
river, the Lambro
Lambro
For the river in Cilento, see Lambro . For the genus, see Lambro .The Lambro is a river of Lombardy, northern Italy, a left tributary of the Po....
river, and the mountaines of Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
, and that it directly derives from the name of the Bozzente creek, which was known as Bosintio in the past. These etymologies would thus establish a connection between the bosinata and the rural areas surrounding of Milan, which might make sense as the bosinate were conceived as a coarse, uneducated form of poetry that the Milanese might associate with the vulgar people of the "contado
Contado
Contado can mean:* a county in Italian. In the context of pre-modern Italy, generally refers to the countryside surrounding, and controlled by, the city state. The contado provided natural resources and agricultural products to sustain the urban population...
". More specifically, scholar Bernardino Biondelli suggests that the first bosin were actually from Milan, but that they deliberately adopted a language inspired by that spoken in the rural areas outside Milan, to emphasize the naive character of their compositions.
History
The oldest known bosinade date back to the early 18th century, but scholars (for example C. Repossi) tend to believe that the tradition might have begun much earlier, possibly in the 16th century. Only from the 18th century, in fact, bosinate were printed, which makes it possible to determine their age through an analysis of their typographicalTypography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
characteristics. Some of the earliest printed bosinate were composed by Gaspare Fumagalli around 1723. Collections of early bosinate were edited, among others, by Francesco Cherubini and Ferdinando Fontana.
In the 19th century the bosinada was so popular that even major Milanese dialectal poets such as Carlo Porta
Carlo Porta
Carlo Porta was an Italian poet, the most famous writer in Milanese .-Biography:...
would occasionally refer to themselves as "bositt", possibly as a statement of modesty. Bosinade also make occasional appearances in the plots of the stories and poems from these authours; in La Ninetta del Verzee ("Ninetta of the Verziere
Verziere
The Verziere was the traditional greengrocery street market of Milan, Italy...
") by Porta, for example, the main character Ninetta hires a bosin to write a composition on her lover, who mistreats and exploits her, to hold him up to ridicule as a form of revenge.
Bosinate continued until the early 20th century. Some of the last known bosinade include La Balonada by Gaetano Crespi (1907), about a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
race, or Delagrange volerà! ("Delagrange will fly") on the flight experiments by Léon Delagrange
Léon Delagrange
Léon Delagrange Léon Delagrange Léon Delagrange (Ferdinand Léon Delagrange; March 13, 1873 was a pioneer French aviator and also a sculptor .He was born at Orléans and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris...
.
Structure
The bosinata did not have a fixed or codified structure. The meterMeter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
itself was not fixed, and sometimes different meters were used in the same poem; in fact, irregular verses were quite common, as this reflects the popular and coarse nature of bosinade. "Ottonari" (octameter
Octameter
Octameter in poetry is a line of eight metrical feet. It is not very common in English verse. E.g.: -TrochaicOctameter in poetry is a line of eight metrical feet. It is not very common in English verse. E.g.: -Trochaic...
s) and "endecasillabi" (hendecasyllable
Hendecasyllable
The hendecasyllable is a line of eleven syllables, used in Ancient Greek and Latin quantitative verse as well as in medieval and modern European poetry.-In quantitative verse:...
s) were the most recurring meters. Verses usually came in rhyming couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s.