Air à boire
Encyclopedia
Air à boire is a French term which was used between the mid-17th and mid-18th centuries for a "drinking song
". These were generally strophic, syllabic song
s to light texts. Its predecessor was chanson pour boire
, the difference being mainly that chansons pour boire were for one voice with lute
accompaniment, whereas airs à boire are generally for more than one voice.
Airs à boire are generally contrasted with airs sérieux, which typically had texts on more serious matters, such as "love, pastoral
scenes, and political satire
." Most airs à boire occur in publications from Paris
, and are for one to three voices and lute accompaniment. In the 1690s airs à boire were so popular that new collections containing them were published every three months in Paris. In the period when the term was used, over 250 collections of songs with the title Airs sérieux et à boire were published.
Composers who were prolific in the genre were Jean-Baptiste Bousset and Sébastien de Brossard
.
Drinking song
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
". These were generally strophic, syllabic song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s to light texts. Its predecessor was chanson pour boire
Chanson pour boire
Chanson pour boire is a term for a French drinking song, frequently coupled with chanson pour danser . It was used in from about 1627–1670...
, the difference being mainly that chansons pour boire were for one voice with lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
accompaniment, whereas airs à boire are generally for more than one voice.
Airs à boire are generally contrasted with airs sérieux, which typically had texts on more serious matters, such as "love, pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
scenes, and political satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
." Most airs à boire occur in publications from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and are for one to three voices and lute accompaniment. In the 1690s airs à boire were so popular that new collections containing them were published every three months in Paris. In the period when the term was used, over 250 collections of songs with the title Airs sérieux et à boire were published.
Composers who were prolific in the genre were Jean-Baptiste Bousset and Sébastien de Brossard
Sébastien de Brossard
Sébastien de Brossard was a French music theorist.Brossard was born in Dompierre, Orne. After studying philosophy and theology at Caen, he studied music and established himself in Paris in 1678 and remained there until 1687. He briefly was the private tutor of the young son of Nicolas-Joseph...
.