chansonniers

Chansonnier is a French term with two related senses in music and literature. In general use, a chansonnier is a performer or songwriter in the tradition of the chanson, a lyric-driven French song. The masculine form is chansonnier; feminine forms include chansonnière or, more commonly, chanteuse. In a historical sense, chansonnier also designates a manuscript or book that collects chansons, i.e., a songbook compiled during the medieval or Renaissance periods.

In its manuscript sense, a chansonnier refers to a compiled collection of secular songs copied and organized by scribes or musicians. Such songbooks were used in courts and among clerical or lay circles and often bear the name of a compiler, a place, or a date. The term is attached to several well-preserved Renaissance and medieval sources, which document the repertoire and performance practice of the period.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the term came to describe a modern performer's role in the Parisian cabaret and music-hall scene. Chansonniers in this sense performed lyric-focused songs in cafés-concerts and intimate venues, frequently accompanying themselves on guitar or piano. Their material combines wit, social commentary, romance, and storytelling, with emphasis on clear, expressive lyric delivery.

Notable figures associated with the contemporary chanson tradition include Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Serge Gainsbourg, and Pierre Perret; later artists such as Renaud and Barbara are also linked to the genre. Because the masculine term is chansonnier, female performers are typically described as chanteuses or chansonnières rather than chansonniers. See also: Chanson, Cabaret, Chansonnier manuscript.