Lesson 4...The Rondeau

The Rondeau is a French form of poetry that concists of 15 lines set in three stanzas, with a definite rhyme scheme. Each line in the poem contains eight syllables. It is written as follows:

Stanza 1:

Quintet - 5 lines - 8 syllables each
Rhyme Scheme - AABBA

Stanza 2:

Quatrain - 4 lines - 8 syllables each
Rhyme Scheme - AABC

Stanza 3:

Sestet - 6 lines - 8 syllables each
Rhyme Scheme - AABBAC

It is one of three forms including the ballade and the virelai which had a corresponding musical form developed to set its characteristic form. This is one of the poetic forms that was most commonly used for music between the 13th and 15th centuries. The form can be varied to have 10 lines, or 13 lines.

The Rondeau is also used in English language poetry which uses refrains similar to the use of a chorus in a song. The line indicated by (C) acts as a refrain. The challenge to the poem is in making the refrain strong and meaningful, as it must be identical to the beginning of Line 1 of the poem.

References
www.britannica.com
Packard, W. (1989) The Poet's Dictionary.First Edition
Harper & Row Publishers, New York. Retrieved 06 November 2007 pps. 166-167

Discussion Topic for Lesson 7
Write two paragraphs about why you think this form of poetry would lend itself to compositions of music. Be specific.

Lesson 7 Assignment
Write a Rondeau as defined in this lesson.

Examples

In Flander's Field
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, sawa sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

©1915
John McCrae

She Likes to Play
She likes to play away the day.
It does not matter what you say.
She sometimes plays with her two cats,
at other times she plays with bats,
and it's baseball that she'll play.

Her birthday comes around in May.
She'll want to have her way all day,
or otherwise she'll be a brat.
She likes to play.

The hours we will wile away.
Her ukelele she will play.
If that don't make her one cool cat
then running 'round is where it's at,
so that's the way she'll spend her day.
She likes to play!

© 07 November 2007
Robert G. Dyson



Bonus
Who wrote "Rose, liz printemps?"
When?1st correct answer gets 100GP's