Meaning of "Barzelletta" in Music
In the context of music, the term "barzelletta" refers to a specific type of composition or song. It is closely related to the frottola, another Italian secular song popular in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The barzelletta is considered a subtype or variation of the frottola.
The barzelletta is characterized by its light and often humorous nature. It is typically a composition for multiple voice parts, with lyrics that may contain witty or satirical elements The term "barzelletta" itself is derived from the French word "bergerette".
While the frottola and barzelletta share similarities, the barzelletta is often distinguished by its focus on secular themes and its use of playful or comical language It should be noted that the barzelletta is not academic poetry but rather secular verse.
Overall, the barzelletta is a musical genre that combines light-heartedness, humor, and often satirical elements in its composition and lyrics.
The barzelletta is the most popular verse form of the frottola. It is similar to the ballata and consists of two sections. The first section is a refrain (ripresa) with four lines in the rhyme scheme abba or abab. The second section is a stanza with six or eight lines set in pairs with identical rhymes (mutazioni or piedi). The last part of the stanza contains a volta or a couplet with the last line rhyming with the first line of the refrain. The rhyme scheme for the stanza is often cdcdda (six-line stanza) or cdcddeea (eight-line stanza). There are typically from two to five stanzas with either the entire four-line refrain or generally only part of the refrain (two lines) preceeding each stanza. The barzelletta is similar, in prosody, to the ballata, the French virelai, the lauda, and the Spanish cantiga or villancico.
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