- For the film, see Intermedio (film).
The
intermedio (also
intromessa,
introdutto,
tramessa,
tramezzo,
intermezzo), in the
Italian Renaissance, was a theatrical performance or spectacle with
music and often dance which was performed between the acts of a play to celebrate special occasions in Italian
courts. It was one of the important predecessors to
opera, and an influence on other forms like the English court
masque. Weddings in ruling families and similar state occasions were the usual occasion for the most lavish intermedi, in cities such as
Florence and
Ferrara. Some of the best documentation of intermedi comes from weddings in the
Medici family, in particular the 1589 Medici wedding, which featured what was undoubtedly both the most spectacular set of intermedi, and the best known, thanks to no fewer than 18 contemporary published festival books and sets of
prints that were financed by the Grand Duke.
