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For the Italian pedagogue, see Francesco Gabrielli (teacher).
Francesco Gabrielli in 1633, detail from an engraving by Carlo Biffi
Folio 110 from the McGill Feather Book depicts a scene from a comedy by Nicolò Barbieri showing Spineta serenaded by the masked Schapin ( Scapino). The large number of instruments hanging from the tree suggest the player is Francesco Gabrielli with his wife Spinetta. [1]

Francesco Gabrielli (1588–1636) [2] was an Italian actor of the commedia dell'arte. [3] He was particularly famous as a virtuoso musician, who was an accomplished player of a dozen musical instruments. [4] He is sometimes credited with the creation of Scapino, a musical zanni (servant) role, which he may actually have taken from Niccolò Barbieri. [5] Gabrielli first appears as a member of the troupe of the Accesi in 1612, is later recorded as a member of the Confidenti, and in 1624 was with the Fedeli in Paris (under the direction of Giovan Battista Andreini), before rejoining the Accesi. [6]

In 1627 Gabrielli learned that the Duke of Mantua was seeking a company of actors and wrote a letter from Ferrara to Antonio Costantini, the Duke's assistant, offering to bring his family and fellow players to perform in Mantua. The letter reveals much concerning the difficulties of forming a balanced ensemble and the professional rivalries among actors, both within and between troupes. [7]

Francesco Gabrielli was the son of the well known commedia dell'arte actor Giovanni Gabrielli (known as Sivello). [8] Francesco married Spinetta Locatelli, an actress who appeared with him, [9] and they had several children who became actors, [6] including Giulia (seen in Paris as Diana in 1645). [4] It is uncertain whether Girolamo Gabrielli (a famous Pantalone) and Ippolita Gabrielli (a troupe manager in 1663) were his children. [4]

Notes

  1. ^ Item 132 (Minaggio 110) at McGill University Library, accessed 14 February 2015; Katritzky 2006, p. 245 and plate 294.
  2. ^ Hartnoll 1985, p. 311 gives "(1588–c. 1636)"; Richards & Richards 1990, p. 58, give his exact year of death as 1636.
  3. ^ Lea 1934, p. 490; Hartnoll 1983, p. 311; Senelick 1995.
  4. ^ a b c Senelick 1995.
  5. ^ Hartnoll 1983, pp. 54, 311.
  6. ^ a b Hartnoll 1983, p. 311.
  7. ^ Letter of 6 January 1627, reproduced in Rasi 1897, vol. 1, part 2 (C–K), pp. 964–965; discussed and translated into English by Richards & Richards 1990, pp. 123–126.
  8. ^ Hartnoll 1983, p. 311; Senelick 1995.
  9. ^ Katritzky 2006, pp. 244–245 and plate 294.

Bibliography

  • Bergquist, Stephen A. (2014). "Scapino: A Portrait of Francesco Gabrielli", Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography, vol. 39, nos. 1–2, pp. 98–101. ISSN  1522-7464.
  • Hartnoll, Phyllis, editor (1983). The Oxford Companion to the Theatre (fourth edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN  9780192115461.
  • Katritzky, M. A. (2006). The Art of Commedia: A Study in the Commedia dell'Arte 1560-1620 with Special Reference to the Visual Records. Amsterdam; New York: Rodopi. ISBN  9789042017986.
  • Lea, Kathleen Marguerite (1934; reissued 1962). Italian popular comedy: a study in the Commedia dell'Arte, 1560-1620, with special reference to the English stage, 2 volumes, paged continuously. Oxford: Clarendon Press (1934), OCLC  1879518. New York: Russell & Russell (1962), OCLC  1134107.
  • Rasi, Luigi (1897–1905). I Comici Italiani: Biografia, bibliografia, iconografia, 3 volumes. Florence: Fratelli Boca. Catalog record at HathiTrust.
  • Richards, Kenneth; Richards, Laura (1990). The Commedia Dell'Arte: A Documentary History. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. ISBN  9780631195900.
  • Senelick, Laurence (1995). "Gabrielli family", p. 407 in The Cambridge Guide to the Theatre, new edition, edited by Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN  9780521434379.
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