chansonnier

American  

[shahn-suhn-yey, shahn-saw-nyey] / ˌʃɑn sənˈyeɪ, ʃɑ̃ sɔˈnyeɪ /

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

Inflected Forms

noun

• chansonniers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chansonnier

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

Example Sentences

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

He has recorded both versions: as chansonnier with the Camerata Academica Salzburg, led by Franz Welser-Möst for EMI, and as both singer and conductor with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos.

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

So she looked sharply at us, while I produced a letter to M. Mistral which had been given me by a humble associate of the "f�libres," a delightful chansonnier we had met at Les Baux.

From Vanishing Roads and Other Essays by Le Gallienne, Richard