Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Giacomo da Lentini: 13th Century
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Dante Alighieri: Influenced by Giacomo da Lentini
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Lines in the first Italian sonnets were hendecasyllable
(endecasillabo or eleven syllables) in length. A constant
stress is placed on the tenth syllable, so that the number of
syllables in the verse may vary, equaling eleven in the usual
case where the final word is stressed on the penultimate syllable.
This follows the typical form in Latin. The verse also has a stress
preceding the caesura, on either the fourth or sixth syllable.
Canzoni (songs) preceeded the sonnet, but were expected to be
accompanied by music in Troubador form. Dante Alighieri
("Divine Comedi") used "terce rima" form that
was influenced by Giacomo da Lantini's Canzoni and Sonnet forms.
Giacomo da Lantini (13th century), developed the first sonnets
(preceding Petrarch).
The form of a canzoni is: A B C D A B C D E E F G F G
(two quatrains followed by a sestet that includes a terminating
palindrome, for 14 lines: the standard number of lines in
a sonnet). Giacomo da Lentini's sonnata form is a little different
than the canzoni form: A B A B A B A B C D C D C D
The sestet is composed of two intertwined palindromes (terce rima: "Hello Dante").
Giacomo da Lentini's poetry was originally written in literary
Sicilian, although it only survives in Tuscan.
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