The chansons in this collection are examples of polyphonic settings of French secular verse, nearly ten thousand of which appear in printed or manuscript sources during the sixteenth century.The eighty-four pieces were chosen for their musical value; great masters as well as lesser known composers, who made significant contributions to the genre, are represented.Primarily, the chansons are for four mixed voices. A number of settings for other combinations, from two-part to seven-part, are also included. he