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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Chant royal

Chant \Chant\, n. [F. chant, fr. L. cantus singing, song, fr. canere to sing. See Chant, v. t.]

  1. Song; melody.

  2. (Mus.) A short and simple melody, divided into two parts by double bars, to which unmetrical psalms, etc., are sung or recited. It is the most ancient form of choral music.

  3. A psalm, etc., arranged for chanting.

  4. Twang; manner of speaking; a canting tone. [R.]

    His strange face, his strange chant.
    --Macaulay.

    Ambrosian chant, See under Ambrosian.

    Chant royal [F.], in old French poetry, a poem containing five strophes of eleven lines each, and a concluding stanza. -- each of these six parts ending with a common refrain.

    Gregorian chant. See under Gregorian. [1913 Webster] ||

Wiktionary
chant royal

n. A complicated French poetic form, a variation of the ballad form, consisting of five eleven-line stanzas with the rhyme scheme a-b-a-b-c-c-d-d-e-d-E and a five-line envoi rhyming d-d-e-d-E or a seven-line envoi c-c-d-d-e-d-E. Rhyming words cannot be repeated.

Wikipedia
Chant royal

The Chant Royal is a poetic form that is a variation of the ballad form and consists of five eleven-line stanzas with a rhyme scheme a-b-a-b-c-c-d-d-e-d-E and a five-line envoi rhyming d-d-e-d-E or a seven-line envoi c-c-d-d-e-d-E. To add to the complexity, no rhyming word is used twice It was introduced into French poetry in the 15th century by Christine de Pizan and Charles d'Orléans and was introduced into England towards the end of the 19th century as part of a general revival of interest in French poetic forms. The complexity of the form caused William Caswell Jones to describe it as "impractical" for common use The Chant Royal was the most complicated form of poetry in Northern France during the 15th century, though not as complex as the sestina, which was more popular in Southern France. The form was often used for stately, or heroic subjects.