Rondeau

Rondeau is a term used in both literature and music to denote a fixed form that emphasizes repetition and a refrain. It originated in medieval French lyric poetry and was later adopted in French early music. The name itself derives from the sense of round or recurring, signaling the repeated musical or textual motif.

In poetry, the rondeau is a short fixed verse form characterized by a refrain. It typically comprises a total of about 15 lines and uses a repeated phrase or line as a refrain that appears in a fixed position within the poem. The rhyme pattern varies by poet and period, but the defining feature is the integration of a recurring line or phrase that ties the work together. Rondeaux were popular in medieval courtly love poetry and were often composed to be sung or recited with musical accompaniment.

In music, the rondeau is a form of early polyphony and a cantus firmus-type song. It uses a repeated musical refrain that returns after each vocal section, creating a symmetrical and cyclical structure. The form was a common element of ars nova repertoire in the 13th to 15th centuries and was employed by composers of the period to structure chansons and motets. Over time, the musical rondeau declined in prominence, but it influenced later French and European modulations of form and repetition in secular and sacred music.

Today, the rondeau persists as a term in discussions of medieval and Renaissance poetry and music, illustrating how fixed forms used repetition to create cohesion and emphasis.