Canto di Tirsi pastor del picciol Reno, Sopra le numerose Famiglie della nobiliss. città di Modona descritto da Giulio Cesare dalla Croce [...]

4to (197x143 mm). [8] leaves. Collation: A-B4. Woodcut coat of arms of the dedicatee on the title page. Woodcut ornaments and initials. Contemporary cardboards “alla rustica”. Some leaves reinforced at gutter, some foxing and browning, a good, genuine copy.
Extremely rare first edition, dedicated to Alessandro Morani from Bologna on 15 October 1595, of this poem in 34 octaves celebrating the most noble families of Modena. From the dedication, it appears that Croce had visited Modena, perhaps to seek his fortune with his lyre, and there he had received endless affection (cf. O. Guerrini, La vita e le opere di Giulio Cesare Croce, Bologna,1879, no. 38).
Giulio Cesare Croce was a self-taught poet and storyteller who, due to his ability to bridge the gap between the cultured and popular worlds and between oral and written culture, occupies a unique position in the Italian literary scene. Born in San Giovanni in Persiceto near Bologna in 1550 to a family of blacksmiths, he received an irregular education and was supported by the Fantuzzi family of Medicina. He divided his time between blacksmithing and storytelling in Bologna until, in 1575, he devoted himself entirely to storytelling. He travelled from market to market, staying in the homes of the wealthy, but despite his popularity, he remained poor. He also spent some time in Venice, where he performed for local dignitaries. Appreciated by the renowned Modenese musician Orazio Vecchi for his talent as a versifier, Croce collaborated with him on the celebrated Amfiparnaso (1597), widely considered to be the first Italian “melodramma giocoso”. He died in Bologna in 1609.
More than four hundred works are attributed to Croce, most of which were published in modest, poorly printed booklets. Written in Italian or Bolognese dialect, in prose or verse, his pamphlets contain lively descriptions of the lives of the poor, as well as jokes, humorous stories, proverbs and accounts of popular festivals and calamities (cf. L. Strappini, Croce, Giulio Cesare, in: “Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani”, vol. 31, Rome, 1985, s.v.).
Edit 16, CNCE14390; USTC, 824957 (only 2 copies known worldwide).