The word "canzone" means "song" in Italian. It refers to a type of Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric poetry that is similar to a madrigal. Sometimes, a simple and song-like composition is called a canzone, especially if it is written by someone who is not Italian. An example is the aria "Voi che sapete" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.

The term "canzone" is sometimes used interchangeably with "canzona," an important Italian instrumental music form from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Works labeled as "canzoni da sonar" are pieces meant to be played and are considered an important step toward the development of the sonata. During the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, musical terms were not always used clearly, so one composer might call a piece "canzoni da sonar," while another might call it "canzona" or "fantasia."

The Italian canzone comes from the Provençal word "canso." It is a lyrical form with 5 to 7 stanzas, each stanza matching the first in rhyme pattern and number of lines (7 to 20 lines). Each line in a canzone typically has 11 syllables. A part of the canzone called the "congedo" or "commiato" follows the structure of the Provençal "tornado," which is also known as the French "envoi." This section often addresses the poem itself or directs it to the purpose of a character, originally a person. The lyrical form was first used at the Sicilian court of Emperor Frederick II in the 13th century and later used by famous writers such as Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Renaissance poet Edmund Spenser (The Marriage Hymn in his Epithalamion).

Minnesang

The canzone (German: Kanzone) is the main type of song structure in Minnesang, a type of poetry from Middle High German. In Minnesang, the canzone follows a three-part pattern similar to the Provençal canso. Two parts with the same rhythm, called Stollen ("supports"), make up the Aufgesang ("up-song"). This is followed by a part with a different rhythm, called Abgesang ("down-song"). These rules are common in early Minnesang. As the genre develops, more complex forms appear. For example, one of Neithart's Winter Songs, "Winder, dîniu meil" (No. 32), has a 14-line canzone with the rhyme pattern a b c d | a b c d || e e f g f g. The earliest canzone in Minnesang date from the late 12th century and are part of the broader influence of Romance lyric poetry.