Life
A hinge figure between two eras, his training was completed in the height of late sixteenth-century Mannerist culture, while his artistic maturity was fully expressed in the first phase of the Baroque.
Born in Argenta in 1552, Girolamo Belli was trained in the lively musical environment of Ferrara. His first compositions spread rapidly, earning him appreciation at various Italian courts.
Aneddoto
Madrigals for ducal weddings
Some of his madrigals were performed during aristocratic weddings in Ferrara, an occasion that made his name famous beyond local borders.Works
He published numerous books of madrigals, appreciated for their polyphonic refinement. He also composed masses and motets that were widely distributed in Northern Italy.
Briciole di storia
Gambling is born from elections
The game of Lotto was not born for fun, but from one of the most serious political procedures of the Republic of Genoa. In the year 1576, it was established that the five members of the government would be chosen by drawing their names from an urn. The Genoese, always passionate bettors, immediately transformed this solemn election into a game of chance, starting to bet money on the names that would be drawn. The Genoese Republic initially tried in every way to ban these bets. But the game, called at the time the "seminary game," became so popular and uncontrollable that the authorities changed their minds, and so, instead of prohibiting it, they decided to manage it, transforming popular passion into a colossal source of income for the State coffers.
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