Description
The “combinative chanson” is a subgenre of the Renaissance polyphonic French song, characterized by the simultaneous use of different texts and/or quotations from pre-existing popular tunes across its various voice parts. This compositional practice was a form of musical riddle amongst aristocratic and courtly circles: the complexity lay in weaving together disparate elements that often had a humorous, ironic, or symbolic relationship to one another. The musicologist Maria Rika Maniates edited a key anthology on this genre, titled “The Combinative Chanson: An Anthology”. The current brass trio arrangement, which preserves the original three-part voicing, is designed for intermediate performers.
