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