Lyrics



So ben mi ch' a bon tempo
Al so ma basta mo'
So ben ch' e favorito
Ahime, no' l posso dir
Saluti e baciamani
son tutti indarno a fe
Passeggia pur chi vuole
che 'l tempo perdera

Composed by Orazio Vecchi (1550-1605), a cathedral musician from Modena, Italy, who was widely famous for his secular compositions. There might be a bit of cuckolding going on in the lyric. There is a dance that goes with this.

This obviously written in secular spare time:
I know a lucky fellow. But I can't say who it is
He seems to be quite a favourite. But my lips are sealed
O! If I could only tell you. Who comes, who goes, who stays.
But if I did, You would probably despair.