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chansonnier

American  
[shahn-suhn-yey, shahn-saw-nyey] / ˌʃɑn sənˈjeɪ, ʃɑ̃ sɔˈnjeɪ /

noun

  • chansonniers
    plural
  1. a singer or writer of chansons, especially a cabaret performer who specializes in songs that are a combination of melody and rapid spoken patter.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of chansonnier

From French, dating back to 1885–90; see origin at chanson, -ier 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He left as a gruff Yorkshire lad and came back a smooth, silver-tongued chansonnier.

From The Guardian Nov. 5, 2016

In a mirthful score for chansonnier and an ensemble replete with toy instruments, Gruber takes delight in small, nasty grotesqueries.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 14, 2015

Simon Rattle led the premiere with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mr. Gruber as the chansonnier, in 1978, and the work has traveled widely.

From New York Times Dec. 4, 2011

Mr. Gruber will perform with the Philharmonic as the chansonnier, a narrative role that involves singing in cabaret, lieder and exaggerated operatic styles as well as speaking, whispering and shrieking.

From New York Times Dec. 4, 2011

In like manner, comrade is "camerado"; Americans are "Americanos"; a pavement is a "trottoir," and Mr. Whitman himself is a "chansonnier."

From Views and Reviews by Henry James

Among the pantheon of great chansonniers, Aznavour was a born rule-breaker.

From The Guardian Oct. 1, 2018

As Mitterrand's Socialist government marked its third anniversary last week, there was plenty of material for the chansonniers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Quebec has sprouted dozens of novelists, playwrights and chansonniers who sing their culture's praises—and bewail their unhappy history as a conquered people.

From Time Magazine Archive

On radio, television and in Montmartre cellars, the traditional chansonniers gibe irreverently at De Gaulle's big-power pretensions and the docility of his Cabinet.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is a cabaret of chansonniers known as “Le Grillon,” where a dozen celebrated singing satirists entertain an appreciative audience in the stuffy little hall serving as an auditorium.

From The Real Latin Quarter by F. Berkeley (Frank Berkeley) Smith

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