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Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was commissioned to compose two different ballets for the Ballets Russes that were inspired by variations of this character. Stravinsky's ballets were entitled Petrushka (1911), based on Russian 19th-century puppetry traditions celebrated at Shrovetide, and Pulcinella (1920), based on 17th-century Italian music (thought to be by Pergolesi) associated with a commedia dell'arte version. Due to this duality of heredity, Pulcinella can be portrayed as either a servant or a master, depending on the scenario. "Upper" Pulcinella is more like Bucco, with a scheming nature, an aggressive sensuality, and great intelligence. "Lower" Pulcinella, however, favors Maccus, and is described by Pierre Louis Duchartre as being "a dull and coarse bumpkin." [5] This juxtaposition of proud, cunning thief from the upper class and loud, crass pervert from the servant class is key to understanding Pulcinella's behaviors. polichinelle translation from Collins French-English dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com . Retrieved 2012-10-30. Notice that in each of these songs the name of the character is "Punchinello" and not "Punchinella". Also, notice that in each of these songs, the character is a clown.
The handbook doesn't mention how they decided to include it... Girl Scouts use all SORTS of oral tradition for their songs & games. I moved every few years growing up, learning new songs & teaching new-to-them songs wherever I ended up. But this really is my fave for early elementary -- they'll play FOREVER! (in 6-9 year-old time :D) The ballet was revived and revised by New York City Ballet's balletmasters George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins for their 1972 Stravinsky Festival. They both danced in the performance, Robbins in the title role, and were joined in the premier by Francisco Moncion, who danced the role of The Devil. [5] Story [ edit ]Polichinelle, [6] ca. 1680 by French artist Nicolas Bonnart. The first of a set of five etching entitled Five Characters from the Commedia dell'arte. Etching with hand coloring on laid paper. Conductor Ernest Ansermet wrote to Stravinsky in 1919 about the project. The composer initially did not like the idea of music by Pergolesi, but once he studied the scores, which Diaghilev had found in libraries in Naples and London, he changed his mind. Stravinsky adapted the older music to a more modern style by borrowing specific themes and textures, but interjecting his modern rhythms, cadences, and harmonies. That said, a commenter on a Mudcat discussion forum about this singing game remembers the word "Punchinella" being used in the 1940s London, England. [Example #1 below] And the a ending form of that name may be common elsewhere. Guest, Suzanne, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49743, "Play-party game 'Punchinello', January 21, 2011
At Roger Q. Mills Elementary in Dallas, Texas cira 1960 it was a playground game. All the kids stood in a circle with one person in the middle. Then we sang:Pulcinella marked the beginning of Stravinsky's second phase as a composer, his neoclassical period. He wrote: Due to staff shortage Pulcinella will close on Sundays and Mondays sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause PULCINELLA FOOD TO GO
Typically, the child that suggested playing the game, started as the first one in the middle of the circle of other children. The circle of children would sing first, asking, "What can you do..." The child in the middle would respond, singing, "I can do, this..." while performing an action; the funnier the action, the better. The circle would respond, "We can do it too..." while attempting to imitate the action that had been performed by the child in the middle. Then, the child in the middle would close their eyes, stretch forth one arm, with their index finger pointed, and begin to turn around in place, while the children in the circle would continue on singing, "Shake it to the East. Shake it to the West. Shake it to the very one that you love the best!" The child in the middle would stop turning when the singing stopped. The child in the circle to whom the child in the middle was then pointing, would be the next one to be in the middle of the circle. I remember singing a "Punchinella" rhyme during my childhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the mid 1950s. The words that I remember suggest that it was sung while playing a one person in the middle circle game. Here are those words; Open secret – In various European languages, including Italian, [25] French, [26] Spanish, [27] Polish, [28] Russian, [29] and Portuguese, [30] a "Pulcinella's secret" or a "Polichinelo's secret" is an open secret. The Italian psychoanalyst and philosopher Emilio Mordini has discussed Pulcinella secrets, [31] saying that they help people to retain their sanity [32] in contexts where secrets are impossible (for example: in small villages, or in today's online world). Mordini argues that Pulcinella secrets "are not really secret in the sense that they are unknown or unknowable, but because they are labeled as secret". [33] The other possible explanation of which I had thought, was that perhaps the game had originated as one that would be played outside under the shade of a Poinciana tree, and the children in the circle were supposed to play with their shoes off, representing "grown up" Poinciana trees, while the child in the middle had to keep their shoes on, representing a sapling still growing in a shoe, receiving all the attention, etc., until they performed an action which then allowed them to join the cirle of grown trees. Hmmm...ok... please keep in mind that I was around 7 or 8 yrs-old at the time that I came up with these explanations. Bonnart, Nicolas (1680–1690). "DAC Collection Object Information - "Polichinelle" ". DAC-Collection.Wesleyan.edu. Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University . Retrieved December 9, 2016.
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For what it's worth, I remember playing "Punchinella" -with an "a" ending - during the early to mid 1950 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (given as Example #2 below). Also, I didn't associate "Punchinella" with a clown. Very interesting to read about different versions of essentially the same children songs and games.
Anyway, in reading this blog, it appears that in Bermuda, "Poinciana" was either mistakenly, or deliberately substituted at some point, at least over 70 years ago. (My mother, who will be 80 yrs-old, confirms that she also grew up singing "Poinciana".) If I recall correctly, the person in the middle closed her or his eyes. pointed while turning around the center. At the end of the song, the person who sh or he was pointing to was "It" and the game began again from the beginning. Another famous characteristic of his is that of never being able to shut up; from this trait comes the expression in several European languages "Pulcinella's secret" (i.e., an open secret that everyone knows). [ citation needed]Nowadays most children in the United States only know a few singing games/"play party" games. And the singing games that are known are rarely played by children over 12 years old. Most of the singing games/play party songs which children in the United States know were taught on the college level to prospective teachers or child care givers. Those teachers/child care givers then taught the form & words of those games that they learned to their elementary school ages students (usually under age 12 years) and/or the pre-school/day care children who are under their care. The usual venue for teaching these games in elementary schools is music classes. Video #2 below is an example of this practice. The complete lyrics for each of these songs can be found at http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=68881 pulcinella translation from Collins Unabridged Italian-English dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com . Retrieved 2012-10-30. UK | England | Derbyshire | Mr Punch's 'bad mood' syndrome". BBC News. 2006-09-05 . Retrieved 2010-05-25.
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