Traditionnel

Traditional music is first passed on by ear: you learn it by hearing it sung or played, and each generation changes it a little. When it is finally written down, one version among many is fixed. The simplest melodies, such as “Au clair de la lune” or “Frère Jacques”, thus exist in many variants.

Some of these tunes have a partly known history. The tune of “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman” is an 18th-century French song on which Mozart wrote twelve variations; in English it became “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. “Greensleeves” is an English ballad of the Elizabethan era. The words of “Amazing Grace” were written by the English clergyman John Newton (published in 1779), set to an American folk melody that was linked to them later.

The African American tradition gave us spirituals and gospel, such as “When the Saints Go Marching In”, which became a standard of New Orleans brass bands and jazz. European folk dances (like the Swedish dances on this site, taken from a collection published in the early 19th century) were written down by collectors and arranged for the keyboard.

These tunes are perfect for beginners: short, familiar and easy to sing. You can harmonise them, transpose them, vary them: tradition invites you to make the music your own.