''Chanson réaliste'' (, ''realist song'') refers to a style of music performed in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

primarily from the 1880s until the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Sweeney, Regina M. (2001). ''Singing Our Way to Victory: French Cultural Politics and Music During the Great War'', Wesleyan University Press. p. 23. .Fagot, Sylvain & Uzel, Jean-Philippe (2006). ''Énonciation artistique et socialité: actes du colloque international de Montréal des 3 et 4 mars 2005'', L'Harmattan. pp. 200-203. . (French text) Influenced by

literary realism Literary realism is a movement and genre of literature that attempts to represent mundane and ordinary subject-matter in a faithful and straightforward way, avoiding grandiose or exotic subject-matter, exaggerated portrayals, and speculative ele ...

and the naturalist movements in literature and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, ''chanson réaliste'' dealt with the lives of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

's poor and working-class.Frith, Simon (2004). ''Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies'', Routledge. pp. 225-227. .Schechter, Joel (2003). ''Popular Theatre: A Sourcebook'', Routledge. pp. 181-183. Wilson, Elizabeth (1992). ''The Sphinx in the City: Urban Life, the Control of Disorder, and Women'', University of California Press. p. 62. ''Chanson réaliste'' was a musical style that was mainly performed by women;Conway, Kelly (2004). ''Chanteuse in the City: The Realist Singer in French Film''. University of California Press. p. 6. some of the more commonly known performers of the genre include

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

and

Fréhel Fréhel (; born Marguerite Boulc'h (); 13 July 1891 – 3 February 1951) was a French singer and actress. Biography Born in Paris to a poor and dysfunctional Breton family, Marguerite Boulc'h was a child left to a life on the streets in the s ...

Origins and influences

''Chanson réaliste'' grew out of the ''cafés-concerts'' and

cabarets Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

of the

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

district of

during the 1880s. Home to such theatrical landmarks as the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

, and

Le Chat Noir (; French for "The Black Cat") was a 19th century entertainment establishment in the Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by impresario Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897 not long ...

, Montmartre became a centre for

hedonistic Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of egoism, it suggests that peopl ...

and brazen entertainment from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.Gendron, Bernard (2002). ''Between Montmartre and the Mudd Club: Popular Music and the Avant-garde'', University of Chicago Press. pp. 36 & 53. . Although ''chanson réaliste'' was a musical genre dominated by female vocalists, one of its earliest performers—and credited by some as "the creator" or "the father" of genreMoore Whiting, Steven (1999). ''Satie the Bohemian: From Cabaret to Concert Hall'', Oxford University Press. p. 20. Robb, David (2007). ''Protest Song in East and West Germany Since the 1960s'', Boydell & Brewer. p. 36. .—was cabaret singer and comedian

Aristide Bruant Aristide Bruant (; 6 May 1851 – 11 February 1925) was a French cabaret singer, comedian, and nightclub owner. He is best known as the man in the red scarf and black cape featured on certain famous posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He ...

. Bruant began a career at

in 1885 and his

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

-inspired mix of song, satire and entertainment became very popular with the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

slumming in the poorer Montmartre district.Wilson, Elizabeth (2003). ''Bohemians: The Glamorous Outcasts'', Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p 224. . His compositions were novel for the time because they included the everyday language and slang used by the commoners. Borrowing elements of the '' comédie en vaudeville'', the ''chanteuses réalistes'' (realist singers emale often wore black dresses, red lipstick and white face makeup—their faces highlighted with stark lighting, set against a modest, almost bare backdrop—all done to draw audiences' attention to the singers' emotive facial expressions. In contrast to the picturesque ''

chanson A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...

'' which was popular in post-World War II France—with its songs of love, cobbled Parisian streets, and the sound of the accordion—the ''chanteuses réalistes'' sang songs of loss, hopelessness and abandonment; their songs dealt with life in the poorer Parisian faubourgs, and the thugs,

pimp Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term "pimp" ...

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

s, and

orphan An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...

s who called them home; its themes of

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

and the

criminal underworld Organized crime is a category of transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a form of illegal business, some ...

, as well as its sociopolitical commentary, were influenced by the works of such literary realists and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

writers as

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

Jean Richepin Jean Richepin (; 4 February 1849 – 12 December 1926) was a French poet, novelist and dramatist. Biography Born on 4 February 1849 at Médéa, French Algeria, Jean Richepin was the son of an army doctor. At school and at the École Normale ...

and

Paul Bourget Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (; 2 September 185225 December 1935) was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Paul Bourget was born in Amiens, France. He initially abandoned Catholicism ...

The performers

The ''chanson réaliste'' sentimentalised the plight of poor and dispossessed women, such as prostitutes, waitresses, failed singers in cheap bars, orphans, single mothers and the like. Some of the performers of the genre were also known to have lived the part—both Édith Piaf and Fréhel sang in the streets as children, were teenage mothers and lost their children very young—and many shortened their lives with

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

and

illness A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...

: Yvonne George lived an excessive lifestyle and died at the age of 34; Fréhel became an

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

at an early age, attempted

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

at 19 and eventually died in poverty; Piaf suffered from addictions to

morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

and alcohol and died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. However, given the dramatic and melancholy aspects of ''chanson réaliste'', the withered and diseased aspect of their appearance became an integral part of the show. Piaf, for example, was known for her

waif A waif (from the Old French , )Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/waif (accessed: June 02, 2008) is a person removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance, from their original ...

-like stage presence and became tightly identified with her role;Cannon, Steve & Dauncey, Hugh (2003). ''Popular Music in France from Chanson to Techno: Culture, Identity, and Society'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 30. . she was, however, critical of the style: Another common theme of the ''chanson réaliste'' was

motherhood A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case ...

, particularly the mother-son relationship; such songs were a speciality of the singer Berthe Sylva, whose songs dealt with such topics as dying mothers, mothers worrying about their sons at war, sons placing flowers on a mother's grave, and songs about the mundane experiences of a bored

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...

. Other women known for performing in the ''chanson réaliste'' style include: * Berthe Sylva *

Eugénie Buffet Eugénie Buffet (; 1866–1934) was a French singer who rose to fame in France just prior to World War I. She has been called one of the first,Frith, Simon (2004). ''Chanteuse in the city: the realist singer in French film'', Routledge. pp. 219� ...

* Germaine Lix * Damia *

Marie Dubas Marie Dubas (3 September 1894 – 21 February 1972) was a French music-hall singer, diseuse and comedian. Biography Born in Paris, France, Marie Dubas began her career as a stage actress but became famous as a singer. Using the great Yvette Gui ...

* Lys Gauty * Nitta-Jo *

Marianne Oswald Marianne Oswald (January 9, 1901 – February 25, 1985) was the stage name of Sarah Alice Bloch, a French singer and actress born in Sarreguemines in Alsace-Lorraine. She took this stage name from a character she much admired, the unhappy Oswald ...

Suzy Solidor Suzy Solidor (18 December 1900 – 30 March 1983) was a French singer and actress, appearing in films such as '' La Garçonne''. Suzy Solidor was born Suzanne Louise Marie Marion in 1900 in the Pie district of Saint-Servan-sur-Mer in Brittan ...

"Disques: scènes de rue chez les filles de joie." In: ''Le Temps''. Available at

Accessed 15 May 2025. *

Lucienne Delyle Lucienne Delyle (16 April 1913 – 10 April 1962) was a French singer. After the success of ''Mon amant de Saint-Jean'' (my lover from Saint-Jean), in 1942, Lucienne Delyle became one of the most popular French female singers of the 1950 ...

Selected recordings

* ''La java d'un sou'' (Maris Dubas, 1935) * ''Une femme'' (Suzy Solidor, 1934) * ''J'ai soif'' (Nitta Jo, 1936) * ''Il n'est pas très distingué'' (Fréhel, 1935) * ''C'est un mauvais garçon'' (Berthe Sylva, 1936) * ''Maison louche'' (Germaine Lix, 1935) * ''Une femme, un accordéon, un caboulot'' (Lys Gauty, 1938)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chanson Realiste French styles of music Music in Paris Realism (art movement) Literary realism

Origins and influences

The performers

Selected recordings

See also

References