Structural elements.
The canzone resembles a sonnet in the way it unveils its subjects, but there are several structural differences. In fact, when studying canzone through its century of popularity, early prototypes of the sonnet are evident. Certainly, the canzone led Francesco Petrarch to his creation of one of three basic sonnet forms.
While the typical sonnet is fixed at 14 lines, a canzone stanza can range from seven to 20 lines. Furthermore, a canzone runs from one to seven stanzas, and has a variety of rhyme schemes. Most canzone lines contain 10 or 11 syllables, but these too can vary. Because the canzone is not as fixed as a sonnet, it is often easier to write.
Flexible rhyming scheme.
To write a canzone, it’s helpful to work with the syllable scheme developed by Dante Alighieri in his wonderful chapbook of sonnets, ballata, and canzone, La Vita Nuova (The New Life). In "Canzone 1," he creates a 14-line, sonnet-length stanza with 10-syllable lines:
Ladies that have intelligence in love,
Of my own lady I will speak with you;
Not that I hope to count her praises through,
But telling what I may, to ease my mind.
And I declare that when I speak thereof
Love sheds such perfect sweetness over me
That if my courage failed not, certainly
To him my listeners must be all resigned.
Wherefore I will not speak in such large kind
That mine own speech should foil me, which were base;
But only will discourse of her high grace
In these poor words, the best that I can find,
With you alone, dear dames and damozels:
'Twere ill to speak thereof with any else.
Dante’s abbcdeeccffcgg rhyme scheme is rather complicated, but canzone writers never settled on a fixed rhyme scheme. You can use any rhyme scheme you’d like; for simplicity’s sake, rhyming couplets might work best. Most importantly, remember that canzone is a lyrical form; the more melodious it feels streaming from your pen, as in a song, the more authentic your presentation will be. That is why subjects such as nature, love, changing seasons, and personal portraits have historically made great canzones.
Dante’s recipe.
The beauty of this poem is that, consciously or not, Dante has crafted subliminal instructions for writing a canzone! To paraphrase him, the recipe is as follows:
First two lines: Define your subject and how you will speak with the reader.
Ladies that have intelligence in love,
Of my own lady I will speak with you;
Second two lines: Convey the central theme, question, or conflict.
Not that I hope to count her praises through,
But telling what I may, to ease my mind.
Third set of lines (broken into a quatrain): Convey your mood, sentiment, and stance.
And I declare that when I speak thereof
Love sheds such perfect sweetness over me
That if my courage failed not, certainly
To him my listeners must be all resigned.
Fourth set of lines: Elaborate on the direction of this and the following stanzas, further embedding the purpose of the poem in the reader’s mind.
Wherefore I will not speak in such large kind
That mine own speech should foil me, which were base;
But only will discourse of her high grace
In these poor words, the best that I can find,
Closing couplet: Whether you’re writing one, five, or seven stanzas, bring a close to the stanza and leave an opening for further development.
With you alone, dear dames and damozels:
'Twere ill to speak thereof with any else.
If you’re not quite prepared to work with the rigidity of the sonnet, the canzone is a flexible form that will still allow you to work a more rigid musicality of language. Try keeping your syllable counts as consistent as possible, and the end line rhymes will flow right into your reader’s ear.
