A chanson is a type of French song that focuses on words or lyrics. The word is often used in English to describe two main types of music: first, the non-religious songs with multiple melodies from the late medieval and Renaissance periods, and second, a style of French pop music that began in the 1950s and 1960s. This genre started with simple songs written by troubadours and trouvères, but early examples of songs with multiple melodies were rare. Only 16 songs by Adam de la Halle and one by Jehan de Lescurel existed before Guillaume de Machaut, a composer from the ars nova period, created many more polyphonic chansons.

The term "chanson" means "song" in French and can refer to many different types of French music throughout history. These include songs from medieval collections called chansonniers, epic poems called chanson de geste, and Grand chant; court songs from the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, known as air de cour; popular songs from the 17th to 19th centuries, such as bergerette, brunette, chanson pour boire, pastourelle, and vaudeville; art songs from the Romantic era, called mélodie; and folk music, known as chanson populaire. Since the 1990s, the term has also been used for Nouvelle Chanson, a type of French song that often includes poetic or political themes.

High medieval precedents

The earliest chansons were epic poems sung with simple, single-melody tunes by professional performers called jongleurs or ménestrels. These poems often told stories about the brave actions (geste) of past heroes, whether real or legendary. The Song of Roland is the most well-known example, but most chansons de geste are studied as literature because few musical notes from them remain.

A different type of chanson, called chanson courtoise or grand chant, was an early form of single-melody song. It was the main type of lyrical poetry created by trouvères, who were poets and musicians. This style came from the Occitan canso and was popular in the 12th and 13th centuries. As its name suggests, it often focused on courtly love, with men writing songs about their noble lovers. Later chansons sometimes used multiple melodies, and some included repeated lines, called chansons avec des refrains.

Late medieval and early Renaissance

The word chanson usually refers to a type of French song from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance that uses multiple voices singing at the same time. Early chansons often followed fixed forms, such as ballade, rondeau, or virelai (once called chanson baladée), though later composers sometimes used other forms to set popular poetry. The earliest chansons were written for two, three, or four voices, with three voices becoming the most common style. By the 16th century, some chansons included four voices. Sometimes, singers were accompanied by musical instruments.

Guillaume de Machaut was the first important composer of chansons. He wrote three-voice pieces in the fixed forms during the 14th century.

Two composers from Burgundy, Guillaume Du Fay and Gilles Binchois, created Burgundian chansons that influenced later composers around 1420 to 1470. Their chansons were generally simple in style and often used three voices. These works typically had a main melody line (tenor) and two other voices: an active upper voice (discantus) and a lower voice (altus), which usually shared the same range. Musicologist David Fallows included the Burgundian chansons in his work A Catalogue of Polyphonic Songs 1415–1480.

Mid-late Renaissancechanson

Later 15th- and early 16th-century composers such as Johannes Ockeghem and Josquin des Prez created music that no longer followed strict fixed forms. Their works often used a style where all voices shared similar musical ideas and moved at comparable speeds, similar to music in religious songs and motets. The first book of music printed using movable type was Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, a collection of ninety-six songs by many composers. It was published in Venice in 1501 by Ottaviano Petrucci.

From the late 1520s through the mid-1500s, composers like Claudin de Sermisy, Pierre Certon, Clément Janequin, and Philippe Verdelot wrote Parisian chansons. These songs also avoided fixed forms, often used four voices, and had a simpler, more unified sound. Some of these pieces aimed to create musical images, such as sounds of birds or scenes from a marketplace. Many Parisian chansons were published by Pierre Attaingnant. Composers of this time, as well as later ones like Orlando de Lassus, were inspired by Italian madrigals.

Modernchanson

French solo songs began in the late 16th century, likely influenced by music from Paris. In the 17th century, genres like air de cour, chanson pour boire, and others, often played with a lute or keyboard, became popular. Composers such as Antoine Boesset, Denis Gaultier, Michel Lambert, and Michel-Richard de Lalande contributed to this style. These traditions still influence modern French chanson, as many musicians today use the harp and keyboard.

During the 18th century, opera was the most important form of vocal music in France. However, solo songs experienced a revival in the 19th century. Early in this period, salon melodies were popular, and by mid-century, composers created more complex works inspired by German Lieder, which had been introduced to France. Louis Niedermeyer, greatly influenced by Schubert, played a key role in this movement, followed by composers like Édouard Lalo and Felicien David.

A type of chanson called chanson réaliste (realist song) became popular in France from the 1880s until the end of World War II. It originated in the cafés and cabarets of Paris’s Montmartre district and was shaped by literary realism and naturalism. This style was often performed by women and focused on the lives of Paris’s poor and working class. Well-known performers of this genre include Damia, Fréhel, and Édith Piaf.

In the late 19th century, French art songs known as mélodie (not chanson) were composed by musicians such as Ernest Chausson, Emmanuel Chabrier, Gabriel Fauré, and Claude Debussy. This tradition has continued into the 20th century and today.

In the 20th century, French composers revived the chanson genre. In 1908, Claude Debussy wrote Trois Chansons for a cappella choir. Maurice Ravel composed Trois Chansons for a cappella choir after World War I began, as a return to French musical traditions. These works were published in 1916.

Today, chanson or chanson française is different from other French pop music because it follows the natural rhythms of the French language and has higher standards for lyrics.

In La Planche, Loire-Atlantique, the Musée de la chanson française was opened in 1992. The museum’s purpose is to honor the artists who helped create the chanson tradition.