Even though we listened to this in class on two different occasions, it is such a memorable song that I wanted to make an entry about it. El Grillo (The Cricket) is a four part Frottole that speaks about the song of a cricket. This song is a good, very lighthearted example of Josquin's awareness and connection of the music to the text. There is definitely word painting going on throughout the song, and at one part in the refrain the voices are meant to mimic the chirp of a cricket. This piece makes me smile. I really like the recording by the Hilliard Ensemble, which I believe is the same one we listened to in class.
El grillo è buon cantore,
Che tienne longo verso,
Dalle beve grillo canta.
Ma non fa come gli altri uccelli,
Come li han cantato un poco,
Van' de fatto in altro loco
Sempre el grillo sta pur saldo,
Quando la maggior è'l caldo
Al' hor canta sol per amore.
The cricket is a good singer
Who sings for a long time
The cricket sings just for fun
The cricket is a good singer
But unlike the birds
who fly off when they've sung a bit,
The cricket just stays where he is
When the weather is really hot,
he sings solely for love.
Oh, yes, the Hilliard ensemble is great!
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