Chansonnier

A chansonnier (cançoner, cançonièr, Galician and cancioneiro, canzoniere or canzoniéro, cancionero) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of chansons. The most important chansonniers contain lyrics, poems and songs of the trouvères or troubadours of the Middle Ages. Prior to 1420, almost all chansonniers contained both sacred and secular music, with the exception of those containing the work of Guillaume de Machaut. Around 1420, sacred and secular music was segregated into separate sources, with large choirbooks containing sacred music, and smaller chansonniers for more private use by the privileged. Chansonniers were compiled primarily in France, but also in Italy and Germany; however, even when they were compiled elsewhere, they contain mostly French polyphonic chansons.

A singer of chansons could also be called a chansonnier.

List of important chansonniers

Catalan

• Cançoner de l'Ateneu
• Cançoner Carreras
• Cançoner dels Comtes d'Urgell
• cançoner d'Estanislau Aguiló
• Cançoner del Marquès de Barberà
• Cançoner d'obres enamorades
• Cançoner de Paris-Charpentras
• Cançoner de la Universitat de Saragossa
• Cançoner de vides de sants
• Cançoneret d'amor
• Cançoneret de Ripoll
• Jardinet d'Orats

French

• Cangé Chansonnier
• Cappella Giulia Chansonnier
• Chansonnier Cordiforme
• Chansonnier de Arras
• Chansonnier du Roi (also Occitan)
• Chansonnier Nivelle de la Chaussée
• Copenhagen Chansonnier
• Dijon Chansonnier
• Florentine Chansonnier
• Laborde Chansonnier
• Mellon Chansonnier
• Noailles Chansonnier
• Seville Chansonnier
• Wolfenbüttel Chansonnier

Occitan

• Cançoner Gil
• Cançoner Vega-Aguiló
• Chansonnier de Saint-Germain-des-Prés
• Philipps Manuscript
• Poetarum Provinciali

Galician-Portuguese

• Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional
• Cancioneiro da Ajuda
• Cancioneiro da Vaticana
• Llibre Vermell de Montserrat
• Pergaminho Sharrer (fragment)
• Pergaminho Vindel (fragment)

Spanish

• Cancionero de Baena
• Cancionero de Palacio
• Colombina Cancionero

References

• Howard Mayer Brown. "Chansonnier (i)", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed July 30 2006), grovemusic.com

Notes