Description
El grillo (‘The cricket’) is composed in the style of a frottola, a type of secular Italian song that flourished around the turn of the sixteenth century. Frottole favoured clear harmonies, catchy rhythms, and an immediacy that made them ideal for convivial, courtly entertainment, and El grillo is among the most charming examples of the genre. Its music alternates between long, sustained notes and bursts of quick, chattering syllables, delightfully mimicking the cricket’s incessant song. The piece is often linked to a certain Carlo Grillo, a singer at the Milanese court whose surname conveniently matches the insect and who was known for grumbling about his patron’s casual approach to paying wages. Its quirky style has led some scholars to question Josquin’s authorship, yet it remains an irresistibly vivid miniature: witty, bright, and brimming with personality.
© Owain Park 2026
El grillo è buon cantore
Che tiene 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 el caldo
Alhor canta sol per amore.
The cricket is a good singer
who can hold a long tune
after drink, the cricket sings.
But he does not do as the other birds
who when they have sung a little
go away to another place
instead the cricket stands firm
however great the heat
For he sings only for love.
Anonymous
