Sommo, Judah Leone ben Isaac

Sommo, Judah Leone ben Isaac

▪ Italian writer
also called  Leone De Sommi Portaleone,  original name  Yehuda Sommo 
born 1527, Mantua [Italy]
died 1592, Mantua

      Italian author whose writings are a primary source of information about 16th-century theatrical production in Italy.

      Sommo wrote the first known Hebrew drama, Tzaḥut bediḥuta de-qiddushin (1550; “An Eloquent Comedy of a Marriage”), in which characters such as the pining lover, the comic servant, and the crafty lawyer reflect the influence of the Italian commedia dell'arte. Sommo's experience as a playwright and producer of dramas for various noble patrons was the basis for his Dialoghi in materia di rappresentazioni sceniche (c. 1565; Dialogues on the Art of the Stage), a summation of contemporary theatre practice containing one of the earliest extant discussions of stage lighting. It gives directions on the use of small reflectors to intensify lighting, the importance of dimming house lights, and the expressive use of lighting to create mood.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • SOMMO, JUDAH LEONE BEN ISAAC — (also known as Leone De Sommi Portaleone, Leone di Somi, Leone Ebreo de Somi, Leone de Sommo Portaleone, Yehuda Sommo; 1527–1592), dramatist, theater director, and poet in Hebrew and Italian. An outstanding contributor to the development of the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Sommo, Judah Leone ben-Isaac — (1527–92)    Italian dramatist. Sommo staged plays which were presented at the court of the Gonzago duke in Mantua. He was a prolific writer in Italian and Hebrew; his best works are his ‘Dialogues on the Art of the Stage’ (Italian, 1565), and a… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • POETRY — This article is arranged according to the following outline (for modern poetry, see hebrew literature , Modern; see also prosody ): biblical poetry introduction the search for identifiable indicators of biblical poetry the presence of poetry in… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • HEBREW LITERATURE, MODERN — definition and scope beginnings periodization …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • PIYYUT — (Heb. פִּיּוּט; plural: piyyutim; from the Greek ποιητής), a lyrical composition intended to embellish an obligatory prayer or any other religious ceremony, communal or private. In a wider sense, piyyut is the totality of compositions composed in …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • PORTALEONE — PORTALEONE, family in N. Italy which originated in the Portaleone quarter of Rome; the sommo (or Sommi) family also belonged to it. From the last half of the 14th century the family produced rabbis, physicians, authors, and poets. Among the first …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

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