Abstract
This is a discussion of the medieval French noël song form. Many different definitions exist among current scholars, with some even discounting the subject matter of the song when it comes to differentiating this song from others available during this time period. Through a review of five songs and the existent scholarship, this study attempts to provide a possible definition for the noël, something that is necessary in order to focus and enable possible future scholarship regarding this genre. This study begins by discussing the current state of the definition and comparing three definitions attributed to Block, Routley, and Rus as well as a more general idea regarding the classification of these works. It then moves into a discussion about the pitfalls of the more general methodology for classifying the works before positing a definition that is then applied to the Noel, Noel, Noel, a work attributed to Antoine Busnois, as well as an anonymous parody “noël” found in Block’s own study.