Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎶 Italian song or poem 🎼 Instrumental piece
canzona

canzona

9.9
A piece of music without singing from the Renaissance or Baroque that sounds like a song
  • noun
  • /kænˈzoʊnə/
  • Archaic
translation icon : canzona
  • The musicians played a beautiful canzona during the early part of the concert.

Examples

  • Many composers of the Baroque era wrote at least one canzona for brass instruments.

  • The lively rhythms of the canzona made it a favorite at Renaissance courts.

  • The canzona performed by the orchestra was captivating.

  • Many composers wrote canzonas during the Renaissance.

  • The lively rhythms of the canzona made it a favorite at Renaissance courts.

  • Many composers of the Baroque era wrote at least one canzona for brass instruments.

  • The musicians played a beautiful canzona during the early part of the concert.

Synonyms

toccata
vscanzona
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A fast piece for piano or organ with free, showy passages that show the player's skill

uses melodic material from vocal models rather than keyboard improvisation
canzone
vscanzona
  • Specialized
9.2

An instrumental piece from Renaissance or Baroque music based on songs

is often lively and energetic in overall musical character
ricercare
vscanzona
  • Archaic
9.9

An old keyboard piece that repeats one musical theme in different voices

focuses on lively melodic material drawn from vocal sources

Surface Forms

canzona singular
canzonas plural

Etymology

Canzona first meant 'song', coming from the Italian canzone and Latin cantare 'to sing', but musicians later wrote lively instrumental pieces that copied the sound of songs. That's why a canzona can also mean a lively instrumental piece that is based on a song.