This accessible Companion provides a wide-ranging and comprehensive introduction to French music from the early middle ages to the present.This accessible Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the music of France from the early middle ages to the present day. With chapters on a range of music genres, internationally renowned authors provide a chronological history of music-making in France and analyse the key themes and topics.This accessible Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the music of France from the early middle ages to the present day. With chapters on a range of music genres, internationally renowned authors provide a chronological history of music-making in France and analyse the key themes and topics.France has a long and rich music history that has had a far-reaching impact upon music and cultures around the world. This accessible Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the music of France. With chapters on a range of music genres, internationally renowned authors survey music-making from the early middle ages to the present day. The first part provides a complete chronological history structured around key historical events. The second part considers opera and ballet and their institutions and works, and the third part explores traditional and popular music. In the final part, contributors analyse five themes and topics, including the early church and its institutions, manuscript sources, the musical aesthetics of the Si?cle des Lumi?res, and music at the court during the ancien r?gime. Illustrated with photographs and music examples, this book will be essential reading for both students and music lovers.Foreword Simon Trezise; Part I. Chronological History of French Music from the Early Middle Ages to the Present: 1. From abbey to cathedral and court: music under the Merovingian, Carolingian, and Capetian kings in France, through Louis IX Alice V. Clark; 2. Cathedral and court: music under the late Capetian and ValS%