Matona, mia cara – Orlando di Lasso (Lassus)

Artist: The Douglas Frank Chorale
Composer: Orlando di Lasso (Lassus) 1532-1594
Italian–English Translation below

Matona, mia cara, ----- My lady, my dear,
Mi folere canzon, ----- I want to sing
Cantar sotto finestra, ----- A song beneath (your) window,
Lantze buon compagnon. ----- (A German) lancer (is a) good companion.
Don, don, don, diri, diri, don, don...

Ti prego m'ascoltare, ----- Please listen to me,
Che mi cantar de bon, ----- Because I sing well,
E mi ti foller bene, ----- And I long for you,
Come greco e capon. ----- Like a Greek and (his) chicken.
Don, don, don, diri, diri, don, don...

Comandar alle cazze, ----- Command me to go hunting,
Cazzar con le falcon, ----- To hunt with my falcon,
Mi ti portar becazze, ----- I'll bring you a woodcock,
Grasse come rognon. ----- As fat as a kidney.
Don, don, don, diri, diri, don, don...

Si mi non saper dire, ----- If I don't know how to say,
Tante belle razon, ----- All the beautiful phrases,
Petrarcha mi non saper, ----- (It's because) I don't know Petrarch,*
Ne fonte d'Helicon. ----- Nor the springs of Helicon.*
Don, don, don,diri, diri, don, don...

Se ti mi foller bene, ----- If you really want me,
Mi non esser poltron, ----- I won't be lazy,
Mi ficcar tutta notte, ----- I will fuck all night,
Urtar come monton. ----- Thrusting like a ram.
Don, don, don, diri, diri, don, don...

* Petrarch (1304-1374) was a poet admired for his love sonnets. Helicon was the mountain where the nine Greek muses of the arts dwelt; poets were supposed to have imbibed from its springs.

The Franco-Flemish composer and singer Orlando di Lasso (Lassus) was one of the most highly respected and revered musicians of his day. More than any other composer of the Renaissance, his works embody the spirit of the cosmopolitan "Renaissance Man."

Often ranked alongside Palestrina as a principal composer of 16th century sacred music, Lassus also composed a considerable amount of secular compositions, revealing his versatility and excellence in the art of vocal composition. He frequently wrote letters that abruptly switched languages – from Dutch to French, German, Italian and Latin – apparently because he could.

Matona, mia cara, is a wonderful example of Lassus' ability to go from church composer to a worldly artist. A tedesco in the villanella tradition, this work is a delightfully bawdy depiction of a German mercenary soldier who tries desperately in an unfamiliar language and strange land to win the affections of an Italian lady. Full of puns and imperfect Italian, the rustic setting of the text to music enhances the comic story behind the poem.

S: Sara Botkin, Melissa Raymond, Cynthia Shaw
A: Grace Check, Ariane Reinhart
T: Thom Baker, Marcos Vigil
B: Steve Friedman, Gregg Lauterbach, Mark Sullivan

Selection from "The A Cappella Singer" by The Douglas Frank Chorale
Original CD Recorded May 2000 – Now Available Digitally
"You'll love the performers." – The NY Times
"This CD takes you to another place, another time, and a higher plane. What is most remarkable about this CD, since many of the selections are familiar to conductors and singers, is the truly stunning ensemble performance of these professional singers – I would venture to say transformational – creating music and a recording of it that is special and rare."

Видео Matona, mia cara – Orlando di Lasso (Lassus) канала Douglas Frank