Chanson
Subtitle: the French Singer-Songwriter from Aristide Bruant to the Present Day
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2017
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 246
ISBN-13: 9781315095875
Subjects: Popular music; History and criticism; Singers; Musique populaire; Histoire et critique; Chanteurs
Description: "En France, tout finit par des chansons' is the well-known phrase which sums up the importance of chanson for the French. A song tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages and troubadours of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, chanson is part of the texture of everyday life in France - a part of the national identity and a barometer of popular taste. In this first study of chanson in English, Peter Hawkins examines the background to the genre and the difficulties in defining what is and what is not chanson. The focus then moves to the development of the singer-songwriter of chanson from 1880 to the present day. This period saw the emergence of national icons from Aristide Bruant at the end of the nineteenth century through to internationally recognized musicians such as Jacques Brel and Serge Gainsbourg. Each of these figures used chanson to express the particular moral dilemmas, tragic situations and moments of euphoria particular to themselves and their times. The book provides bibliographies, discographies and details of video recordings for each of the singer-songwriters that it discusses. It is both an essential reference guide to the genre and a useful case history of the adaptation of an ancient form to the demands of the modern mass media."--Provided by publisher.
Table of contents: title: Part Part I: A little theory goes a long way; title: chapter 1 What is chanson?; title: chapter 2 How do you write about chanson?; title: chapter 3 What is not chanson: some fine distinctions; title: chapter 4 The gender of the genre; title: chapter 5 The psycho-anthropology of everyday chanson; title: chapter 6 The Frenchness of chanson; title: part Part II: Practice makes perfect; title: chapter 7 Precursors; title: chapter 8 The charm of Charles Trenet; title: chapter 9 Charles Aznavour: a sentimental realist; title: chapter 10 Leo Ferre: creating a space for transgression; title: chapter 11 Georges Brassens: the appropriation of a literary heritage; title: chapter 12 Jacques Brel: the dramatic synthesis; title: chapter 13 Barbara: performing the feminine; title: chapter 14 Serge Gainsbourg: how to win by cheating; title: part Part III: Innovation and renovation: the Nouvelle chanson francoise; title: chapter 15 Bernard Lavilliers: carrying World Music on his shoulders; title: chapter 16 Renaud: the apotheosis of satire, parody and slang; title: chapter 17 Alain Souchon and Laurent Voulzy: Lennon and McCartney are alive and well and working in Paris; title: chapter 18 Michel Jonasz: a personal fusion; title: chapter 19 MC Solaar: a gardener of words; title: chapter 20 From one fin de siecle to another.