1580s, from Italian canzone, from Latin cantionem (nominative cantio) "singing, song" (also source of Spanish cancion, French chanson), noun of action from past participle stem of canere "to sing" (see chant (v.)). In Italian or Provençal, a song resembling the madrigal but less strict in style.
a genre of Italian instrumental music in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 18th- and 19th-century music, the term canzona refers to a lyrical song or songlike instrumental piece