French music embodies its home nation’s rich diversity; from medieval secular tunes performed by troubadours and jongleurs, to contemporary chanson and jazz manouche.
Edith Piaf brought her poetic sensibility to chanson, the quintessentially French genre that originated in the 1880s and flourished until WWII in Montmartre cafe-concerts.
Romanticism
Romanticism is an era most closely associated with French composer Hector Berlioz and features music with expressive and emotional sounds, hero worship, exotic settings/costumes and virtuosity as its hallmarks.
Literary Romanticism first made its appearance with Genie du Christianisme (1802), while artistic Romanticism followed through the works of Eugene Delacroix, Theodore Gericault and Victor Hugo (particularly Corot’s orientalism and Rene and Oberman’s vivid nightmares).
Romanticism gave way to Realism in literature; yet Romanticism continued as an influential musical movement throughout the nineteenth century, helping develop the neoclassical styles of Emmanuel Chabrier and Nadia Boulanger as well as inspiring Hector Berlioz’s passionate nationalism.
Baroque
The Baroque period, from 1600-1750, saw French music reach its pinnacle of expression through operas, ballets and more by Jean-Baptiste Lully composing them during Sun King Louis XIV’s rule – his compositions served as soundtrack to all important events during Louis’ rule by providing scores for plays like Raisonnement des Carnarvons or La Carouba et la Naietiee de Nainette for example.
French composers also created an entirely new genre of secular song known as chanson. Breaking away from previous forms fixes, chanson featured many religious-themed texts accompanied by dance rhythms. A stronger down-bow than an up-bow bow shape made this style especially appealing, which spread throughout Europe and became immensely popular.
Classical
France may be known for Edith Piaf and her iconic love songs, but France offers much more when it comes to popular music than that! France boasts an extensive array of genres and styles such as traditional French chanson and pop-rock like that produced by Yves Montand.
Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique proves the reach of French music beyond its borders. Berlioz was often considered the French Mendelssohn, sharing similar gifts for melody, sound orchestration and classical affinity – as was evident by his willingness to explore extreme forms of emotional expression unlike his German contemporaries. Berlioz played an essential part in popularizing French music across Europe and thereby helped establish it as mainstream artform.
Romantic-period ballet
Romantic ballet emerged as an antidote to the classicism of 18th-century classicism, emphasizing supernatural themes in dance while also introducing innovations in both dancing and dress. A new pointe technique allowed dancers to perform on tiptoe and long white tulle skirts known as tutus created an illusion that corps de ballet performances could fly freely; gas lighting technology allowed for special dimming effects to give ballets “wings.”
Ballet plots often featured female spirits or supernatural beings such as sylphs, wilips and ghosts that had the ability to capture mortal men’s hearts and senses, rendering life unsustainable in real time. Furthermore, this period marked an emphasis on ballerinas who became central figures within this form of art.
20th-century music
At the turn of the 20th century, French music saw a remarkable explosion. Percussion became more prominent and composers utilized new sounds to expand tone color. Harmonies became dissonant while rhythms had wider leaps.
Composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel created a revolutionary style, merging older structures with astonishingly fresh sonorities.
Others composers delved deeper into indigenous music from their homelands; Shostakovich utilized Russian folk tunes in his symphonic works while French composer Olivier Messiaen used bird song for inspiration. These trends continue into the 21st century as metal band Gojira and electronic DJ artist Daft Punk are both celebrated globally for incorporating modern elements of French music.
Post-war music
French music boasts an extraordinary legacy. It can be traced all the way back to Christian plainsong from 8th or 9th-century Gallia, an interpretation of Roman chant.
The late 19th century can be seen as an inactive period for musical development until composers such as Jules Massenet, Gabriel Faure and Maurice Ravel revived it through revitalizing their art forms and pioneering innovative approaches such as Debussy’s approach blending traditional structures with vibrant sonorities.