This song is a villotta (later known as the villanella), a sixteenth-century work based on regional street songs, rather like the composed "folk songs" of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As is the case with many folk songs, its text is in a regional dialect (in this case Italian). It was a fairly influential work in its time, and many composers, such as William Byrd, adapted it for their own compositions (Byrd's Qui passe, for instance). The rhythm is dance-like, in very short lines. The instrumental accompaniment is relatively simple, adding to its folksong character.

© Anne Feeney, Rovi