Epic Maggio of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (folk opera tradition)

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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The maggio epico, also called maggio drammatico to distinguish it from maggi lirici (springtime festival songs), has been linked to both ancient pagan spring festivals and medieval sacre rappresentazioni (religious plays) and has recently been shown to have antecedents in the Renaissance (Feo). Its specific origin, however, is a matter of conjecture due to scanty documentation prior to the early nineteenth century. It is believed to have originated in Tuscany, more precisely Lunigiana or Garfagnana, where it would have been encountered by Emilian shepherds and farmers during their seasonal migrations. It is suggestive to think that these two areas were part of the Ferrarese state ruled by the Estense d…

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Citation: Cavallo, Jo Ann. "Epic Maggio of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (folk opera tradition)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19545, accessed 29 March 2024.]

19545 Epic Maggio of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (folk opera tradition) 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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