A mnemonic rhyme for the Bolognese trumps?
Posted: 31 Oct 2021, 08:53
One thing to consider is that the Bolognese did not put numbers on their trumps until the late 18th century. And then, only some, 5 to 16, Amore to Stella. This is how it remains, with no numbers on any cards but those.
Also, no written rules were published until 1753. This means that the Bolognese players learned the order of the trumps at the table, without numbers, for over 300 years. All other versions of the game had numbers on them since at least the beginning of the 16th century, some earlier. Once numbers were on the cards, players didn't have to memorize or recognize the sequence by imagery alone. Numbers bypass the need for a purely iconographic logic to the hierarchy.
Therefore, it makes sense to try to figure out how the Bolognese memorized the sequence during all those 300-plus years. The earliest written rules may give clues, as they are just one slight step away from the purely oral method.
First, the oldest known rules existed in manuscript, and were transcribed in the mid-18th century. The transcriber says the manuscript was “extremely old” (antico), not merely “vecchio” (old). Most commentators are content with “circa 1600” for this manuscript.
These manuscript rules, which the printed rules of 1753 were also based on, begin by describing the deck. They describe the composition of the trumps as two main parts: “Tarocchi” and “Trionfi.”
The Tarocchi are the four trumps which count for five points, the two highest (Angelo and Mondo) and two lowest (Bagattino and Matto). The Trionfi are all the other trumps, with no point values.
Thus the player learned the first and most important group, the four counting cards.
Next he learned that, among the Trionfi, the “quattro papi” are a group, which are not ranked among themselves, but the last played to a trick beats another played to the same trick.
Thus the player learns a second group.
That leaves 14 Trionfi to learn.
The early Bolognese rules abbreviate the names of the Virtues (which are real words, but not the names of the cardinal virtues) -
“Forza” (force, strength) for Fortezza;
“Giusta” (right, correct) for Giustizia;
“Tempra” (temper, tempering) for Temperanza.
This suggests that the names were familiar, spoken for some reason. Why shorten their proper names? I propose the reason for the shortening was to facilitate a mnemonic, as in the following rhyme for the 14 Trionfi:
Sole Luna Stella Saetta,
Diavolo Morte Traditore,
Vecchio Ruota Forza Giusta
Tempra Carro, ed Amore.
This doesn't explain what most interests us about the trump sequence – why did the inventor choose those subjects in particular for the groupings? But examining their use for the purpose for which they were chosen – to be visual signals easily put into a hierarchy – gets us closer to answering that question.
Also, no written rules were published until 1753. This means that the Bolognese players learned the order of the trumps at the table, without numbers, for over 300 years. All other versions of the game had numbers on them since at least the beginning of the 16th century, some earlier. Once numbers were on the cards, players didn't have to memorize or recognize the sequence by imagery alone. Numbers bypass the need for a purely iconographic logic to the hierarchy.
Therefore, it makes sense to try to figure out how the Bolognese memorized the sequence during all those 300-plus years. The earliest written rules may give clues, as they are just one slight step away from the purely oral method.
First, the oldest known rules existed in manuscript, and were transcribed in the mid-18th century. The transcriber says the manuscript was “extremely old” (antico), not merely “vecchio” (old). Most commentators are content with “circa 1600” for this manuscript.
These manuscript rules, which the printed rules of 1753 were also based on, begin by describing the deck. They describe the composition of the trumps as two main parts: “Tarocchi” and “Trionfi.”
The Tarocchi are the four trumps which count for five points, the two highest (Angelo and Mondo) and two lowest (Bagattino and Matto). The Trionfi are all the other trumps, with no point values.
Thus the player learned the first and most important group, the four counting cards.
Next he learned that, among the Trionfi, the “quattro papi” are a group, which are not ranked among themselves, but the last played to a trick beats another played to the same trick.
Thus the player learns a second group.
That leaves 14 Trionfi to learn.
The early Bolognese rules abbreviate the names of the Virtues (which are real words, but not the names of the cardinal virtues) -
“Forza” (force, strength) for Fortezza;
“Giusta” (right, correct) for Giustizia;
“Tempra” (temper, tempering) for Temperanza.
This suggests that the names were familiar, spoken for some reason. Why shorten their proper names? I propose the reason for the shortening was to facilitate a mnemonic, as in the following rhyme for the 14 Trionfi:
Sole Luna Stella Saetta,
Diavolo Morte Traditore,
Vecchio Ruota Forza Giusta
Tempra Carro, ed Amore.
This doesn't explain what most interests us about the trump sequence – why did the inventor choose those subjects in particular for the groupings? But examining their use for the purpose for which they were chosen – to be visual signals easily put into a hierarchy – gets us closer to answering that question.