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From the New York Times:
"If it sometimes seems that American poets are a humorless lot, lacking a certain sprezzatura, [August] Kleinzahler gives the lie to all that. He has labored in the vineyards of verse for many years, and more strikingly, he has played," writes Maureen N. McLane.
Sprezzatura is the art of making the difficult look easy.
How about that?
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So, what's the art of making the easy look difficult?
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So, what's the art of making the easy look difficult?
Working for any governmental regulatory agency?
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http://wso.williams.edu/~espence/sprezzmeaning.htmlThe meaning of sprezzatura in art and life in the High Renaissance is difficult to determine. Part of the trouble stems from the contradictions inherent in the word itself; it is paradoxical, closely related to grace, but with slightly different connotations. Castiglione's Book of the Courtier elaborated on what the word meant for social interaction. A character in the book, Count Ludovico, explains the meaning of grace, and in it he mentions sprezzatura. "It is an art which does not seem to be an art. One must avoid affectation and practice in all things a certain sprezzatura, disdain or carelessness, so as to conceal art, and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it....obvious effort is the antithesis of grace." The most important aspect of sprezzatura is its two-layered nature: it involves a conscious effort which is disguised by a concealing act. Things which require effort are to be performed casually. Count Ludovico seems to be saying that grace arises out of sprezzatura. Anthony Blunt interprets it this way: "It will vanish if a man takes too much pains to attain it, or if he shows any effort to attain it. Nothing but complete ease can produce it. The only effort which should be expended in attaining it is an effort to conceal the skill on which it is based; and it is from sprezzatura, or recklessness, that grace springs." In High Renaissance life, the courtiers wanted to put on a kind of performance, a subtle one, without allowing anyone to know it was self-conscious and deliberate behavior. not sure about the source, but it's a great word. 
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In another thread I mentioned the duchy of Urbino, where
in tournaments of sword fighting, the highest praise went
to those who won with the least expenditure of energy.
In the PBS series by Arthur C. Clarke, I don't remember a name being given to it but "sprezzatura" would fit.
And I think that our slang "cool" is a crude version of it.
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... not sure about the source, but it's a great word.
My mum always said that the best way to get a new word into your vocabulary was to use it. She recommended five times for a permanent synaptic lock.
Tomorrow I must teach a class to budding liturgists in the morning and write two sermons in the afternoon. I'm not sure how sprezzatura is going to relate to any of the three, but there is a very good chance that it will find its way into all of them.
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>So, what's the art of making the easy look difficult?
In sporting terms, "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory". see also "Red Sox"
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I hadn't seen this term before. It comes from the verb prezzare 'to price' and the suffix s- 'dis-'. The difnition my Italian dictionary gives is: "maniera volutamente e sapientemente negletta di fare, di vestire, di scrivere; opposto di ricercatezza; disinvoltura, trascuranza, scioltezza." (deliberately and skillfully ignoring how to act, dress, write; nonchalance, disregard, agility). Reminds me of that great film by Godard Le mépris from the Alberto Moravia novel Il Disprezzo (in English Ghost at Noon). I think there's more to cool than contempt, but I guess it depends which side of the chillth you're on.
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Sounds like Gene Kelly to me. Terrific word, FS.
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Father Steve, from what I can tell, you sprezzatura all over the place.
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I remember a bit of "sprezzatura" in the Disney production of Peter Pan, in which Captain Hook (a cartoon copy of Basil Rathbone) lights a cigarette with left hand while nonchalanontly fencing with an opponent he isn't even looking at .
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That might have been Hook's lightszatura wwh.
There are other forms:
writeszzatura
jazzzzatura
or closely related improvisazzatura
balletzzatura
rodeozzatura or closely relted barrel-racezzatura
for of troy, knittszzatura
for faldo, knitpickszzatura
for jackie, doubleentendrezzatura or not-related bardophobiazzatura
for Dame Joan Sutherland, coloraturazzatura
for Sunday afternoon couched potatoes, snoozzzatura
Any other notable zzaturas?
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jazzzzatura Poetzzatura
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My mum always said that the best way to get a new word into your vocabulary was to use it.
A performance sublime
That's sprezzatura
The best after that
Is only bravura.
Case in point:
Secretariat in the Belmont, 1973.
Who remembers any Triple Crown winner since?
Other Sprezzaturissimo Moments?
Miracle on Ice
Nadia's perfect "10"
Simply sprezz!
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TEd
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kama sutra
Kama sutra is great sex without the sprezz.
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The epitome of studied casualness; the absolute icon of Sprezzatura - James Bond! No!? Am also thinking....women down the ages have always had this quality haven't they? Somehow, they always exuded a certain strength, confidence, vim; were the bulwarks of their families, managed SO many things in a day, children, homes, finances, social relationships, food, farms and still made it all look so effortless. ....distinct and definite erosion of sprezzatura methinks; at least certainly at this end; one job seems too much at times  And now...I shall await the brickbats that are certain to come 
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the bulwarks of their families
You can still find those "bulwarks" in Third World countries, but there isn't much sprezz in their existence.
P.S. What is your historical reference anyway? Vivian Leigh in "Gone with the Wind"?
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I am *Third* World-ian by race Grapho, but that is not the reason for the lack of the 'Sprezz', I assure you
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I am *Third* World-ian by race
Third World-ian isn't "a race", Maahey. It's a condition. A truly unfortunate condition.
Fortunately, you escaped it.
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I humbly concede to your obviously intense knowledge of the condition, the regions so clubbed and of the unlucky existences therein
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In reply to:
unlucky existences therein
Very interesting perception. Of Aristotle's sixteen constituents of happiness, good luck was one.
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i recognize my good luck (frequently) one comment that recently struck a chord with me--was that many americans get upset when their pets drink water from a toilet bowl.
over 75%of the people of world's population would be very happy to have a ready supply of water as clean as can be found in most amercian toilet bowls.(most of them are forced to drink water much more contaminated.)
everytime i open a tap (and i drink several glasses of water a day) i try to remember, what ever else might not be perfect in my life, i am extremely blessed and lucky in many, many ways.
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When u sez sprezz, u sez it all.
Another sprezz moment:
The birth of a child.
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The birth of a child.
have you BEEN at a birth?
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Have you BEEN at a birth?
Yup. And it was very sprezzial!
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Sprezzatura is the art of making the difficult look easy.
Sorry, but I've never seen a woman giving birth that could make that look easy and I have been present at many births.
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Sprezzatura is the art of making the difficult look easy.That's bravura. Sprezzatura is making the impossible, possible ... if only for a moment, a startling, shimmering, mind-shearing, joyous, epiphany of a moment. A performance sublime That's "Sprezzatura" The best after that "Ehh, bravura". A single sprezz moment lasts a life-time. It could even make a life-time otherwise wasted, well-lived. A person can even die with sprezz. In fact, it's the only way to go.
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Well, yeah. Pretty much everyone has.
TEd
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That's bravura.not according to the definition we've been going along with all this time.
Quick definitions bravura
noun: brilliant and showy technical skillI'm with Connie on this one. and TEd: 
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Back to the definition: "...obvious effort is the antithesis of grace...."
That would seem to make "bravura" and "sprezzatura"
mutually exclusive.
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Bravura seems to require effort, which seems to me to be
antithetical to sprezzatura.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
bravura
Definition: \Bra*vu"ra\, n. [It., (properly) bravery, spirit, from
bravo. See {Brave}.] (Mus.)
A florid, brilliant style of music, written for effect, to
show the range and flexibility of a singer's voice, or the
technical force and skill of a performer; virtuoso music.
{Aria di bravura}[It.], a florid air demanding brilliant
execution.
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I agree completely with wwh's point about the difference between spretz and bra.
Now, will someone comment on the root 'colora' in 'coloratura'?
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Sure, it's from the Latin coloratura 'coloring' from the past participle coloratus from the verb coloro 'to color'. The Latin future infinitive, e.g., amaturus 'about to love', is cool. Best known from the phrase: "Nos morituri te salutamus Cæsar." (We who are about to die salute thee, O Caesar.)
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until Emanuella delivers the It. verdict, here's OED2 chiming in:
[It.]
Ease of manner, studied carelessness; the appearance of acting or being done without effort; spec. of literary style or performance.
1957 N. FRYE Anat. Criticism 93 The quality that the Italian critics called sprezzatura. 1960 E. H. GOMBRICH Art & Illusion III. vi. 193 Sprezzatura, the nonchalance which marks the perfect courtier and the perfect artist. 1960 Spectator 14 Oct. 569 The style governed by sprezzatura, dash and mandarin neoclassicism. 1973 Times Lit. Suppl. 14 Sept. 1063/2 Literary fashion and his own aristocratic sprezzatura demanded that he affect an unconcern.
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There seem to be differing opinions on the definition of sprezzatura
When a word like "sprezzatura" is imported into the english language, is it de rigeur that the word conform rigidly to its original [foreign] meaning?
"Sprezzatura" is such a grand and colorful word to the english ear, even more grand and colorful than "bravura".
"Bravura" looks and sounds like it would be lucky to sit at the same table as "sprezzatura".
How disappointing to discover that, in Italian, a "bravura" performance may even surpass a "sprezzatura" performance.
Are we stuck with this unjust result?
Or, can we set "sprezzatura" free
To be as grand as it seems to be?
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We import foreign words because they express ideas for
which there is no good English equivalent.
I would deplore changing them in any way, which would rob
them of their value.
My idea of "sprezzatura" in American artists was Bing Crosby. His ability to appear and sound totally relaxed was a big part of his charm.
But I also used to like Heldentenors, who projected their
masculinity proudly.
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But I also used to like Heldentenors, who projected their masculinity proudly I once held a tenor - the rest I leave to your imagination! 
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Dear Zed: would you rather have held a Vatican Soprano?
They had lots of sprezzatura. Guaranteed incapable of
effort.
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