L’edizione completa del laudario perugino

Abstract

Lauda is a type of Italian poetry in praise of the Virgin Mary, Christ, or the saints. The poetic lauda was first associated with the early Franciscan friars (the 13th-century Franciscan poet Jacopone da Todi wrote many laudi spirituali in the vernacular), then it was used in confraternal groups and for religious celebrations, and eventually became part of the Italian version of the miracle play, the sacra rappresentazione. Laude were composed either in sestina or in ballata form for recitation, their content usually consisting of exhortations to a moral life or of events in the lives of Christ and the saints. The composers were mostly anonymous. The so-called Laudario Perugino is the largest existing collection of laude. It was assembled about the mid-13th century and copied in several manuscripts. The first critical edition of this Laudario, consisting of more than 180 poems, has been published in two volumes by Gina Scentoni and Maurizio Perugi (2011 and 1012). This paper deals with the most important features of this abundant material, which will considerably enlarge our knowledge of medieval Italian language and poetry.