A favorite among a few of our members (though never a huge favorite of mine!) Matona Mia Cara by Orlando de Lassus is definitely fun to sing. It’s the song sung by a German mercenary, serenading an Italian woman. He gets his words all jumbled up, but in the end he is able to make his intentions perfectly clear… read the English translation, provided here. It’s not as crude as the one we’ve got in our books. If you’re curious, we’ll be happy to share the more vulgar version with you at Blackrock Medieval Summer Fest in July!
Italian text from CPDL
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 from Lasksongsings.com (an excellent source for further reading):
“My dear Lady, I’d love to sing a song below your window.
I’m a lancer, and a good lad. Please listen to me, for I sing well, and I love you greatly, as a Greek does his capon.
When I go hunting, hunting with a falcon, I’ll bring you woodcocks as fat as a kidney.
Though I do not know so many elegant phases, and know nothing of Petrarch, or the fountain of Helicon, if you’ll have me, I’m no laggard, I’ll make love to you all night long, thrusting like a ram.”
A properly irreverant performance by the Hilliard ensemble follows:
