The Cambridge Companion to French Art Song

The twenty-first century has witnessed a surge of scholarly interest in the French art song, or mélodie, with a flood of new books, articles, and editions. This Companion draws on the best of this new research, with chapters by world-renowned scholars and performers examining French art song through the practicality of performance, both pianistic and vocal. The book surveys the repertory chronologically from the 1820s into the 1950s, covering all the central composers (Berlioz, Gounod, Fauré, Debussy, Duparc, Chausson, Ravel, Poulenc, Messiaen, and many more). It includes chapters on the role of women in the creation, performance, and diffusion of French song; the analysis of French prosody and poetic forms; the position of the mélodie in French literary history; and the interpretation of mélodie in performance. Scholars, students, performers, and music lovers will find thorough and up-to-date resources to enable them to explore this crucial yet understudied song repertory.

• Caters to the needs of English-speaking scholars and students for an up-to-date, critically informed overview of this important repertoire, from Berlioz to Debussy to Messiaen
• Includes chapters from both scholars and performers as discussion of French art song is grounded in the practicality of performance, both pianistic and vocal
• Enhances readers' understanding and appreciation by introducing the literary culture of France that shaped the mélodie, and providing guidance on French prosody and poetic forms