Barzelletta (lit.
"jest") was a popular verse form used by frottola composers in Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
It is generally trochaic, with eight syllables per line.
The barzelletta consists of two sections: a reprisa which is four rhyming lines (rhyme scheme ABBA or ABAB), a stanza, and a volta.
The barzelletta tends to be lively and dance-like, with heavy accents on cadences.