Costituted thanks to the donation to the Municipality of Forlì by the heirs of Angelo Masini (1844-1926) of a substantial collection of memorabilia and memories linked to the life and activity of the famous tenor from Forlì, the museum has been housed since the late Sixties in some rooms on the ground floor of Palazzo Gaddi. Increased by other significant bequests and deposits and by the material collected by Antenore Colonelli on theatrical activity in Romagna, it holds a heritage of over six hundred and fifty objects. In the room dedicated to Masini, objects and memories of the artistic triumphs of the tenor who sang in the major Italian theaters, but also at the Imperial Theater of Saint Petersburg and in various South American cities are exhibited. Adjacent is the room that houses a large number of musical instruments belonging to musicians and concert performers from Romagna or produced by local luthiery. Of particular importance are the bows made by the Paganini family. A string quartet (two violins, a viola, a cello) commissioned by Angelo Masini by Secondo Paganini is displayed. A room of the museum is reserved for the soprano from Forlì Maria Farneti (1877-1955), a pupil of Mascagni, an artist of refined vocal quality, among the greatest interpreters of verismo opera. Another section of the museum presents the testimonies of the Teatro Comunale of Forlì, built on a project by Cosimo Morelli and inaugurated in the spring of the year 1776, then enlarged and decorated by Gaetano Capizucchi and Mauro Berti in the first half of the 19th century. Posters, flyers, photographs recount the life of the theater until its destruction in 1944 due to the collapse of the civic tower mined by retreating German troops. A large room is dedicated to the Canterini Romagnoli, a musical institution founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Cesare Martuzzi, an innovative musician and refined dialect author. Other spaces of the museum refer to Ines Fronticelli Baldelli, stage name Ines Lidelba, the elegant diva of operetta known for her lavish shows, and to the great actor Ermete Novelli, whose various memories, scripts, travel trunks, and stage costumes are exhibited. The collection of puppets, assembled by Edgardo Forlai, an enthusiast of puppet theater and amateur puppeteer, was acquired by the Municipality of Forlì and is currently awaiting a location that makes it visible to the public. The materials are nevertheless available to scholars upon request. The collection includes materials from the Bolognese, Modenese, and Bergamasque traditions and consists of about one hundred puppets and marionettes coming from the troupes of Aldo Rizzoli, Demetrio Presini, Bruno Jani, Cesare Maletti, Giorgio Minutoli, Roberto Arbizzani, with costumes made by Marisa Mandrioli. Of particular interest are the two toy theaters with related marionettes, the wooden puppets originating from Val Gardena, and the Bolognese terracotta ones dating from the late 19th century to the 1930s. The collection is completed by a now very rare poster by Ciro Bertoni and a puppet booth complete with sets used by Forlai himself.
Information about Museo romagnolo del teatro
Corso Garibaldi, 96,
47121 Forlì (Forlì-Cesena)
054321109
servizio.pinacoteca.musei@cofo.it
Source: MIBACT
