Tristano Martinelli (c. 1556 â€" 1630), called Dominus Arlecchinorum,
the "Master of Harlequins", was an Italian actor in the commedia
dell'arte tradition. He is probably the first actor to use the name
'Harlequin' for the secondo zanni role.Martinelli was active in France
in 1584 to 1585, where he presumably first acted in his Arlequin role.
There is no mention of the Arlequin, Arlecchino, or Harlequin
character prior to Martinelli's time in Paris.Arlecchino first clearly
appears in Martinelli's 1601 publication Compositions de Rhetorique,
yet Tristano Martinelli would follow his name in 1590s signatures with
"'detto Arlechino comico,' or 'alias Arlechino'."For the carnival of
1584, he picked a name taken from French folklore, the devil
Herlequin, for his performance to a Parisian audience. His character
wore a linen costume of colourful patches, and a hare-tail on his cap
to indicate cowardice, a black leather half-mask, a moustache and a
pointed beard. It is also plausible that Martinelli used a tail or
plume to imitate the style of the Bergamask people native to the
region where Arlecchino is typically depicted as being from.
the "Master of Harlequins", was an Italian actor in the commedia
dell'arte tradition. He is probably the first actor to use the name
'Harlequin' for the secondo zanni role.Martinelli was active in France
in 1584 to 1585, where he presumably first acted in his Arlequin role.
There is no mention of the Arlequin, Arlecchino, or Harlequin
character prior to Martinelli's time in Paris.Arlecchino first clearly
appears in Martinelli's 1601 publication Compositions de Rhetorique,
yet Tristano Martinelli would follow his name in 1590s signatures with
"'detto Arlechino comico,' or 'alias Arlechino'."For the carnival of
1584, he picked a name taken from French folklore, the devil
Herlequin, for his performance to a Parisian audience. His character
wore a linen costume of colourful patches, and a hare-tail on his cap
to indicate cowardice, a black leather half-mask, a moustache and a
pointed beard. It is also plausible that Martinelli used a tail or
plume to imitate the style of the Bergamask people native to the
region where Arlecchino is typically depicted as being from.
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