Tarocchi
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For the Old master prints known as the Mantegna or E/S-series Tarocchi, see Mantegna Tarocchi
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[edit] The Name Tarocchi
Tarocchi (Italian, plural form of Tarocco) also known as Tarock (German-Austrian name) and Tarot (French name), is a specific form of playing card deck, which in its history was used for different trick-taking games and later for cartomantic interests and divination (concrete forms appear at least since the article of Court de Gebelin in the year 1781), also as a field for artists to display specific iconographical forms often connected to an ideological system in the background (already a strong factor in the first decks known in 15th century). It is recorded as one of the oldest types of playing card decks known.
The playing material (a deck with usually 4x14 normal Italian suits and court cards, which include in contrast to other forms a cavallo or knight, with additional 21 trumps; the suits may differ from other national patterns) is older than the name of the game, which, according current research state, became known in the year 1505 parallel in France (Taraux) and Ferrara (Italy, as Tarocchi) (Tarot press note) (Details). An earlier form of the game had the name Trionfi or triumphs, this name developed later as general term for trick-taking (trumpfen in German, to trump in English) and disappeared in its original function as deck name. This earlier name of the game is first documented in February 1442, Ferrara {document).
Although the objects are relatively clear of Italian origin (28 notes of the term Trionfi from 1442 - 1463 are counted)[1], it seems, that the final name Tarocchi developed from French influence (Italian speakers of today claim that French words with an ending "-ot" had been commonly transformed in endings with "-occo" and "-occhi".) The poet Berni in 1526 still has some mockery for this (still new) word: "Let him look to it, who is pleased with the game of Tarocco, that the only signification of this word Tarocco, is stupid, foolish, simple, fit only to be used by bakers, cobblers, and the vulgar".
Various contradicting suggestions have been made in the past to explain the original meaning of the word "Tarot". They range from "old Egyptian origin" till the more profane "a cardmaker from the French village Taraux produced Tarot cards".
[edit] Tarocchi as Game (mostly as Tarot or Tarock)
The game is nowadays known in many variations, first basic rules appear in the manuscript of Martiano da Tortona (before 1425; translated text), the next are known from the year 1637. In Italy the game has become less popular, one version named Tarocco Bolognese: Ottocento has still survived and there are still others played in Piedmont, but the number of games outside of Italy is much higher, there connected to the words Tarot and Tarock.
It is played with a tarot deck of playing cards. The so-called "esoteric" decks used for divination are usually ill-suited for playing, for example the corner symbols are missing; thus there are regular playing decks in the countries where tarocchi is popular.
The 78-card deck contains:
- four suits: depending on the region, either the Anglo-French hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs or the original Latin suits of swords, batons, cups, and coins; numbered one through ten, plus four court cards—a jack, a knight, a queen, and a king;
- the twenty-one tarots, known in divination as the Major Arcana, which function in the game as a permanent suit of trumps;
- the Fool, also known as the Excuse, an un-numbered card that in some variations excuses the player from following suit or playing a trump, and in others acts as the strongest trump.
[edit] Typical rules of play:
Play is typically counter-clockwise; the player to the right of the dealer plays to the first trick. If possible players must follow suit. If following suit is not possible a trump card must be played. The winner of each trick leads the next.
After the hand has been played, a score is taken based on the point values of the cards in the tricks each player has managed to capture.counting cards
For the purpose of the rules, the numbering of the trumps are the only thing that matters.The symbolic tarot images customary in divinatory tarot have no effect in the game itself: though, rather ironically, the tarot deck was originally designed to play this game (see playing card history), the design traditions subsequently evolved independently and the tarots often bear only numbers and whimsical scenes arbitrarily chosen by the engraver. However there are still traditional sequences of images in which the common lineage is visible: for example, a moon is visible at the bottom left corner of the XXI in the picture at the top of the page. This stems from confusion of German Mond with Italian mondo and French monde, meaning "world"—the usual symbol associated with the 21 on Italian suited tarots and in divinatory tarot.
In tarot decks made for playing the game (as opposed to those made for divination or other esoteric uses), the four Latin suits are replaced in many regions with the French suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Some variations of the game are played with a 54-card deck (5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of hearts and diamonds and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of spades and clubs are discarded).
Variations of the game are still played in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and especially in the countries on the area of the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy, for which even the name Tarockanien has been coined.
[edit] External links
- Tarocchi History
- general information for playing Tarot, Tarock or Tarocchi
- Tarocco Bolognese: Ottocento
- Austrian Tarock (4-5 players)
- Tarock rules from the Stubaital (3-4 players)
- Danish Tarock (3-4 players)
- Romanian Tarock (3-4 players)
- Slovene Tarock (2-5 players)
- Hungarian Tarock (4-5 players)
- Czech/Slovak Tarock (4-5 players)
- Online Museum with Tarock, Tarot and other playing cards
- Map and Forum for Tarot games
- What is Tarot? It's not what you think!
- Catching the Moon, Tarock
- Andy's Playing Cards
[edit] See also
- Tarot (game) for the French version of the game.
- Königrufen for popular Austrian version
- Tarocchini for a Bolognese version
- Minchiate for Minchiate
- the so-called "Mantegna Tarocchi", "Tarocchi" in the style of Mantegna AKA "Baldini Cards"; Italian fifteenth century educational engravings
