The text of this madrigal imitates the speech of a German soldier trying to speak Italian while wooing a woman. Even to modern Italian listeners, the heavy German accent of these lyrics comes through. Some of the wordplay is hard to translate, but the singer’s clumsiness with the language is very fu...
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
Matona, mia cara was written by Orlando di Lasso.