chansons

Chansons are a term describing a long-standing tradition of lyric-driven French songs, spanning from the medieval period to the present. In its medieval sense, the chanson referred to secular vocal music produced at courts and within early polyphonic ensembles. The form encompassed ballades, virelais, and rondeaux, often composed with clear French texts and varied textures from monophony to polyphony. In the 14th and 15th centuries, composers such as Guillaume de Machaut contributed to the chanson as a central musical genre, using precise poetic forms and notation.

Over the following centuries, the word broadened to cover various types of French song, including salon tunes and light vocal music in the 17th to 19th centuries. The term thus varied in scope, sometimes used interchangeably with song more generally, but with a persistent emphasis on lyric content and poetic craft.

The 20th century saw the emergence of the modern chanson française, a lyric-driven tradition associated with singer-songwriters who foreground storytelling. Notable figures include Edith Piaf, Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, and Charles Aznavour; later artists such as Serge Gainsbourg and Barbara expanded the form. Instrumentation ranged from piano and guitar to accordion-driven arrangements, and the songs frequently addressed love, social matters, and everyday life.

Today, chanson remains a central facet of Francophone music, continuing in traditional repertoires and in contemporary compositions. It is performed in France and across French-speaking communities worldwide, including Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and parts of Africa, and it continues to influence broader pop and film music through its emphasis on language, narrative, and character.