The canso (Occitan: [kanˈsu], Catalan: [kənˈso] or [kanˈso]; modern Occitan spelling: canson, modern Catalan spelling: cançó, pl. cançons) is a song style used by the troubadours. It consists of three parts. The first stanza is the exordium, where the composer explains his purpose. The main body of the song occurs in the following stanzas, and usually draw out a variety of relationships with the exordium. The canso can end with either a tornada or envoi. This part usually bring the piece to some form of resolution. A tornada is a shortened stanza, containing only a latter part of the standard stanza used up to that point. Some cansos contain more than one tornada.
The canso became, in Old French, the grand chant.