A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Frottole

FROTTOLE, early Italian songs, of which nine books, containing each on an average 64, were published by Petrucci at Venice between 1504 and 1509. Many of them are by Tromboncino, who so far may be called the Gordigiani of his day. As far as can be gathered from the account of Ambros^[1] the Frottola was essentially a popular melody, or street-song, treated with a certain amount of contrivance. It stood midway between the strict and complicated Madrigal, and the Villota or Vilanelle, which was a mere harmonisation of a tune; and in fact as the use of counterpoint increased it disappeared, its better elements went into the Madrigal, its lower into the Vilanella. The words of the Frottole were often comic (in fact the word is a synonym for a joke) but still oftener extremely sentimental. Ambros (478) cites some in which the song of the cicada and the mewing of a cat are imitated. The poem was in verses, sometimes very numerous. The music was set almost exclusively for 4 voices. Besides those printed at Venice a book of 22 was published at Rome by Junte in 1526. See Ambros, as below, and Eitner 'Bibliographie.'

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1. Geschichte, iii. 404–489.