Tommaso Sgricci (31 October 1789 â€" 23 July 1836) was an Italian poet
and actor, hugely admired in his time for his talent in
improvisation.Tommaso Sgricci was born in Castiglion Fiorentino,
Arezzo (Grand Duchy of Tuscany) into a modest family, from Jacopo, a
physician, and the Florentine Assunta Lorenzi. On 6 June 1810 he
graduated in law in Pisa.Tommaso Sgricci was one of the last heirs to
the tradition of Italian improvvisatori. He practiced improvisation
from an early age, and in 1813 he began a life of touring throughout
Italy Italy and even abroad. He knew how to create spontaneous poetry
by using the Italian poetic language of prefabricated sentences, and
to interpret it spectacularly on stage, declaiming so quickly that his
audience can not evaluate the quality of the verse (thus receiving
criticism from famous writers of the time, such as Pietro Giordani, a
dear friend of Giacomo Leopardi). His good looks, despite a slight
lameness, and innate stage presence favored his success as much as his
celebrated memory and fantasy.Successfully filling entire theaters, he
received delirious welcomes. During these shows, he usually invited
the audience to write topics on tickets: after having shot one, he
composed an entire piece in verse (but not in rhymes) and recited all
the roles. During a visit to Paris in 1824, he performed in front of a
chosen society and successfully improvised tragedies in five acts on
the themes of Bianca Cappello and the execution of Charles I of
England. In 1825, in front of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, he improvised
a tragedy on the death of Mary, Queen of Scots and succeeded so well
that the enthusiastic Grand Duke assured him a pension of 2400 livres.
In the same year, he was ascribed to the nobility of Arezzo.
and actor, hugely admired in his time for his talent in
improvisation.Tommaso Sgricci was born in Castiglion Fiorentino,
Arezzo (Grand Duchy of Tuscany) into a modest family, from Jacopo, a
physician, and the Florentine Assunta Lorenzi. On 6 June 1810 he
graduated in law in Pisa.Tommaso Sgricci was one of the last heirs to
the tradition of Italian improvvisatori. He practiced improvisation
from an early age, and in 1813 he began a life of touring throughout
Italy Italy and even abroad. He knew how to create spontaneous poetry
by using the Italian poetic language of prefabricated sentences, and
to interpret it spectacularly on stage, declaiming so quickly that his
audience can not evaluate the quality of the verse (thus receiving
criticism from famous writers of the time, such as Pietro Giordani, a
dear friend of Giacomo Leopardi). His good looks, despite a slight
lameness, and innate stage presence favored his success as much as his
celebrated memory and fantasy.Successfully filling entire theaters, he
received delirious welcomes. During these shows, he usually invited
the audience to write topics on tickets: after having shot one, he
composed an entire piece in verse (but not in rhymes) and recited all
the roles. During a visit to Paris in 1824, he performed in front of a
chosen society and successfully improvised tragedies in five acts on
the themes of Bianca Cappello and the execution of Charles I of
England. In 1825, in front of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, he improvised
a tragedy on the death of Mary, Queen of Scots and succeeded so well
that the enthusiastic Grand Duke assured him a pension of 2400 livres.
In the same year, he was ascribed to the nobility of Arezzo.
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