Pulcinella marked the beginning of Stravinsky's second phase as a composer, his neoclassical period. He wrote: 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:

Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character diffused across Europe. From its east to west coasts, Europeans strongly identified with the tired, witty "everyman" that Pulcinella represented. In later adaptations, Pulcinella was often portrayed as a puppet, as commedia dell'arte-style theatre did not continue to be popular throughout all of the continent over time. This puppet evolved into "Mr. Punch" in England. As half of Punch and Judy, he is recognized as one of the most important British icons in history. [21] 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. Oreglia, Giacomo (1968). The Commedia dell'Arte. Translated by Edwards, Lovett F. New York: Hill and Wang. p.94. ISBN 978-0809005451.The one-act ballet features Pulcinella, his girlfriend Pimpinella, his friends Furbo, Prudenza and Rosetta, and Florindo and Cloviello. The story starts with Florindo and Cloviello serenading Prudenza and Rosetta. The two women are unimpressed and reply by showering the suitors with water. Prudenza's father, a doctor, appears and chases them away. While commedia dell’arte was beginning to fade away by the end of the 18th century, the character was preserved thanks to the puppeteers. In Naples, he performed in public squares such as the Largo di Castello, and became the star of the San Carlino theatre between 1822 and 1876. In Rome, he appeared primarily as a glove puppet in Piazza Navona before relocating to the Pincio gardens; he also, however, was presented as a string puppet in private puppet theatres and at the Teatro Fiano in Rome, and even as a comic interlude within plays of chivalric tales based on the works of Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533) and Matteo Maria Boiardo (1434/41-1494). The puppet repertoire nonetheless privileged love stories where Pulcinella often appeared in the role of the suitor or the unfortunate lover, condemned to death and then saved by Colombina whom he succeeded in marrying in the end. He could also become much more aggressive and vindictive, taking on the role of avenger or righter of wrongs in violent duels. However, the word "shoe" may be used a rhyming word for the word "do" as is the case with the other end rhyming words that A version of "Punchinello" that includes the number "42" is given below as Example #4. I have no idea why that number was/is used. Fava, Antonio (2013). "Pulcinella Character and Mask Description". AntonioFava.com. Antonio Fava . Retrieved December 9, 2016.

Rudlin, John (1994). Commedia Dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook. London, England: Routledge. p.139. ISBN 978-0415047708. Duchartre, Pierre Louis (1966). The Italian Comedy. United States of America: Dover Publications, Inc. pp. 209. ISBN 978-0486216799.

According to another version, Pulcinella derived from the name of Puccio d'Aniello, a peasant of Acerra, who was portrayed in a famous picture attributed to Annibale Carracci, and was characterized by a long nose. [19] It has also been suggested that the figure is a caricature of a sufferer of acromegaly. [20] Variants [ edit ] v1: Here's Punchinello, Punchinello, funny fellow / Here's Punchinello, Punchinello, funny you! ("Punchinello" stands silent in the center of the ring while everyone else sings.) v.2 What can you do, Punchinello, funny fellow? / What can you do, Punchinello funny you? (P moves self in some silly way.) v.3 We can do it too, Punchinello, funny fellow / We can do it too, Punchinello, funny you! (Everyone including P does same move.) v.4 Whom do you choose, Punchinello, funny fellow / Whom do you choose, Punchinello funny YOU! (P spins like you describe) Diaghilev wanted a ballet based on an early 18th-century commedia dell'arte libretto and music then believed to have been composed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. This attribution has since been proved to be spurious. [1] Some of the music may have been by Domenico Gallo, [2] Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, Carlo Ignazio Monza and Alessandro Parisotti. [3]

The transgressive character par excellence, associated with the figure of the Devil, Pulcinella obeys his master but can also defy him. Usually penniless, this sly rascal develops myriad stratagems for achieving his aims and gorging himself, but under Colombina’s tender gaze he is also a pitiable and sympathetic fool, the innocent victim of his powerful enemies. He frequently transforms himself, taking on a variety of roles but without ever renouncing the essentially populist identity that he expresses in multiple dialects. Pulcinella’s insolence and devilry are also balanced by the qualities of a generous saviour in the service of the greater good. This character trait, in addition to the role of the deceived lover, was accentuated in the pulcinellate of puppet theatre beginning in the 18th century. a b Rudlin, John (1994). Commedia Dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook. London, England: Routledge, and imprint of Taylor & Francis Group. p.140. ISBN 978-0415047708. UK | England | Derbyshire | Mr Punch's 'bad mood' syndrome". BBC News. 2006-09-05 . Retrieved 2010-05-25. I've read for this line - "you" and "zoo". Note that the word "zoo" is used in the version that is performed in the YouTube video #2.Kasperletheatre Puppets, Germany". ObjectLessons.org. Islington Education Library Service . Retrieved December 9, 2016. 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. Pancocojams Editor's Note: I'm added this version because it is undoubtedly a folk processed form of the rhyme "Punchinella."]