Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Intermedio (intermezzo)
(1,666 words)

1. Concept and meaning

As interludes between the acts of theatre plays to entertain the public and leaven the drama, intermedi from the late 15th to the 18th centuries were characterized by a wide variety of literary and musical forms and content. Dialogues, monologues, and scenes, sung, played, spoken, or danced, complemented the spectrum of dramatic genres from tragedy to comedy, tragicomedy, pastoral and spiritual drama, to oper…

Cite this page
Meine, Sabine, “Intermedio (intermezzo)”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 26 September 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_021498>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20190124



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