Francesco Gabrielli (1588–1636) was an Italian actor of the ''

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

''. He was particularly famous as a virtuoso musician, who was an accomplished player of a dozen musical instruments.Senelick 1995. He is sometimes credited with the creation of

Scapino Scapino, or Scapin, is a zanni character from the commedia dell'arte. His name is related to the Italian word "scappare" (to escape) and his name translates to “little escape artist” in reference to his tendency to flee from fights, even those ...

, a musical ''

zanni Zanni (), Zani or Zane is a character type of commedia dell'arte best known as an astute servant and a trickster. The Zanni comes from the countryside and is known to be a "dispossessed immigrant worker".Rudlin, John. ''Commedia dell'arte: An Act ...

'' (servant) role, which he may actually have taken from

Niccolò Barbieri Niccolò (or Nicolò) Barbieri (Vercelli, 1586 - 1641) was an Italian writer and actor of the commedia dell'arte theatrical genre. He was also known as Beltrame di Milano ("Beltrame of Milan") in reference to one of his most popular characters, Be ...

. 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.Hartnoll 1983, p. 311. In 1627 Gabrielli learned that the

Duke of Mantua During its history as independent entity, Mantua had different rulers who governed on the city and the lands of Mantua from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. From 970 to 1115, the Counts of Mantua were members of the House of Canoss ...

was seeking a company of actors and wrote a letter from

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

to Antonio Costantini, the Duke's assistant, offering to bring his family and fellow players to perform in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

. The letter reveals much concerning the difficulties of forming a balanced ensemble and the professional rivalries among actors, both within and between troupes. Francesco Gabrielli was the son of the well known ''commedia dell'arte'' actor

Giovanni Gabrielli Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554/1557 – 12 August 1612) was an Italian composer and organist. He was one of the most influential musicians of his time, and represents the culmination of the style of the Venetian School (music), Venetian School, at ...

(known as Sivello). Francesco married Spinetta Locatelli, an actress who appeared with him,Katritzky 2006, pp. 244–245 and plate 294. and they had several children who became actors, including Giulia (seen in Paris as Diana in 1645). It is uncertain whether Girolamo Gabrielli (a famous

Pantalone Pantalone , spelled Pantaloon in English, is one of the most important principal characters found in . With his exceptional greed and status at the top of the social order, Pantalone is "money" in the commedia world. His full name, including fam ...

) and Ippolita Gabrielli (a troupe manager in 1663) were his children.

Notes

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. . * Hartnoll, Phyllis, editor (1983). ''The Oxford Companion to the Theatre'' (fourth edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. . * 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. . * 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), . New York: Russell & Russell (1962), . * Rasi, Luigi (1897–1905). ''I Comici Italiani: Biografia, bibliografia, iconografia'', 3 volumes. Florence: Fratelli Boca
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. * Richards, Kenneth; Richards, Laura (1990). ''The Commedia Dell'Arte: A Documentary History''. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. . * Senelick, Laurence (1995). "Gabrielli family", p. 407 in ''The Cambridge Guide to the Theatre'', new edition, edited by Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabrielli, Francesco Commedia dell'arte 1588 births 1636 deaths 17th-century Italian male actors