Au joli bois je m'en vais

Imagine a pleasant stroll in the woods on a fine day, perhaps in spring or summer. This French chanson, Au joli bois je m'en vais, by Charles Tessier, perfectly captures such a mood. Scored for SATB choir, it presents a charming secular song from the chansons tradition. The text speaks of a young woman setting off into the woods, playfully anticipating her upcoming marriage. She vows to deceive her elderly groom, whom she plans to send away to Cornwall. Tessier's setting would suit a programme of French secular music or Renaissance-inspired repertoire, offering a lighthearted narrative for mixed-voice ensembles.