Listening Log- [Pt. I- Proj.1]- Orlande de Lassos – ‘Matona, Mia Cara’ in ‘Libro de Villanelle, moresche et altre canzoni, no.12’. Published in 1581

Orlande de Lassus (c.1530-1594) was one of the most prominent and prolific composers of the Renaissance. Although he was originally from Mons in the Netherlands he travelled a lot and settled in Munich, Bavaria. He spoke and wrote fluently in several languages, including Italian. His settings of, for instance Pretarch, were of the highest quality and second to none, including native Italian composers. Lassus’ overall output was enormous in both sacred and secular vocal music and his was the main exponent of the Franco-Flemish style of polyphony.

Aside from his more serious work he also wrote a number of Italian villanelle. The villanella originated in Naples and has a simpler strophic form compared to a normal madrigal. It consists of verses and choruses which frequently rhyme and in fact parody the madrigal, satirising it with funny and often crude and vulgar text.

‘Matona mia cara’ is a type of villanella called a todesca. It is written for four unaccompanied voices SATB. Todescas generally mocked Germans and their crude attempt at ‘seducing’ Italian ladies in broken and funny Italian. In this case it is a German ‘lancer’ (sexual pun intended) who is trying his luck. These stock characters, such as a lancer, probably originated as carnival songs. Mispronunciations, invented words and bad grammar are usually the way in which the ‘foreigner’ was ridiculed.

Lassus effectively illustrates this ‘simplemindedness’ by writing, or actually re-writing old music into very simple, short homophonic verses and punctuating it with even more trivial ‘don don don diri diri don’ refrains. It is simple, stupid and very very witty. This is basically humour from the 16th Century, the musical equivalent of a dirty joke. I appreciate Lassus’ linguistic skills and intelligence in successfully mocking the Germans in his non- native Italian, but it is certainly not one of the madrigals that leave a long and lasting emotional impression on me.

Italian text

Matona, mia cara, Mi follere canzon,
Cantar sotto finestra, Lantze bon compagnon.
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

Ti prego m’ascoltare, che mi cantar de bon,
E mi ti foller bene, come greco e capon.
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

Comandar alle cacce, cacciar, cacciar con le falcon,
Mi ti portar becacce, grasse come rognon.
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

Se mi non saper dire, tante belle razon,
Petrarcha mi non saper, Ne fonte d’Helicon.
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

Se ti mi foller bene, mi non esser poltron,
Mi ficcar tutta notte urtar, urtar, urtar come monton,
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

English translation

My lovely Lady, I want a song to sing
Under your window: this lancer is jolly fellow!
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

Please listen to me, because I’m singing well
And I’m as fond of you as a Greek is of a capon!
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

When I go hunting, I hunt with the falcon,
And I’ll bring you a woodcock, as fat as a kidney
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

I cannot tell you many elegant things,
I know nothing of Petrarch, nor the Fountain of Helicon
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

If you’ll love me I won’t be lazy
I will fuck all night long, I will thrust like a ram
Don don don, diri diri don don don don.

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Di Lasso, O. (1581) Matona, mia cara. In: Libro de villanelle, moresche et altre canzoni. [Music Score] Public Domain At http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/0/03/IMSLP272807-PMLP128994-Lassus-MatonaLovelyMaiden.pdf

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