Chanson
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Chanson | |
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Stylistic origins | medieval era, France |
Derivative forms |
A chanson (
A broad term, the word chanson literally means "song" in French and can thus less commonly refer to a variety of (usually
High medieval precedents
Chanson de geste
The earliest chansons were the
Chanson courtoise
The chanson courtoise or grand chant was an early form of monophonic chanson, the chief lyric poetic genre of the trouvères. It was an adaptation to Old French of the Occitan canso. It was practised in the 12th and 13th centuries. Thematically, as its name implies, it was a song of courtly love, written usually by a man to his noble lover. Some later chansons were polyphonic and some had refrains and were called chansons avec des refrains.
Late medieval and early Renaissance
Formes fixes
In its typical specialized usage, the word chanson refers to a polyphonic French song of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.[4] Early chansons tended to be in one of the formes fixes—ballade, rondeau or virelai (formerly the chanson baladée)—though some composers later set popular poetry in a variety of forms. The earliest chansons were for two, three or four voices, with first three becoming the norm, expanding to four voices by the 16th century. Sometimes, the singers were accompanied by instruments.
The first important composer of chansons was Guillaume de Machaut, who composed three-voice works in the formes fixes during the 14th century.[6]
Burgundian chanson
Two composers from
Mid-late Renaissance chanson
Later 15th- and early 16th-century figures in the genre included Johannes Ockeghem and Josquin des Prez, whose works cease to be constrained by formes fixes and begin to feature a pervading imitation (all voices sharing material and moving at similar speeds), similar to that found in contemporary motets and liturgical music. The first book of music printed from movable type was Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, a collection of ninety-six chansons by many composers, published in Venice in 1501 by Ottaviano Petrucci.
Parisian chanson
Beginning in the late 1520s through mid-century,
Modern chanson
French solo song developed in the late 16th century, probably from the aforementioned Parisian works. During the 17th century, the
During the 18th century, vocal music in France was dominated by
Another offshoot of chanson, called
Later 19th-century composers of French art songs, known as mélodie and not chanson, included Ernest Chausson, Emmanuel Chabrier, Gabriel Fauré, and Claude Debussy, while many 20th-century and current French composers have continued this strong tradition.
Revival
In the 20th century, French composers revived the genre.
Nouvelle chanson
In France today chanson or chanson française is distinguished from the rest of French "pop" music by following the rhythms of French language, rather than those of English, and a higher standard for lyrics.
Museum
In La Planche, Loire-Atlantique, the Musée de la chanson française was established in 1992. The museum has the goal to remember the artists that have established the heritage of the chanson.[13]
See also
- Canzone – Italian or Provençal song or ballad
- Russian chanson – Variety of genres of Russian music
References
- ^ "chanson". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
- ^ "chanson". Lexico UK English Dictionary US English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "chanson, n.". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 June 2021. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c Wilkins 2001, Introduction.
- ^ "Chanson | Biography, Paper & Facts | Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ a b c Wilkins 2001, 1. Origins to about 1430.
- ^ Strohm 2005, p. 181.
- ^ a b Strohm 2005, p. 182.
- ^ ISBN 0-8195-6473-7.
- ISBN 2-296-00176-9. (French text)
- ISBN 0-520-07864-0
- ISBN 0-520-24407-9
- ISBN 9782748346824
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-521-61934-9.
- Wilkins, Nigel (2001). "Chanson". required)
Further reading
- Dobbins, Frank. "Chanson." In The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online.
- Michail Scherbakov. Russian Сhanson. "Deja."
- ISBN 978-0-393-91829-8.