This light villanelle is the complaint of a rejected lover,

who alternates between peevishness, pleas, and frustration.

Vecchi uses a "fa la la" refrain pattern that hearkens

back to the early Italian madrigal, which in this context,

rather depicts the singer as a peasant.

The verses are only two lines each, though lengthened

by repetitions and the refrain. They're quick and,

not surprisingly, completely syllabic (one syllable

to one note). Vecchi, in his Amfiparnasso had

mastered the creation of a character in a few musical

lines, and we see the same gift here, as the fairly

simple-minded suitor complains that his rival is having

a great time, that he himself is getting nowhere,

whether he talks, laughs, or cries.

© All Music Guide