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 21 November 2024.]
