The Michel Legrand Songbook: Piano/Vocal/Chords Book

These arrangements capture Legrand's essential gift: writing melodies that singers want to live inside. The collection moves between introspective ballads and sophisticated pop standards, giving pianists genuine interpretive choices without requiring orchestral resources. Singers at any level find something to grow into here, whether they're discovering "I Will Wait for You" for the first time or bringing new depth to a familiar favorite.

Romantic without sentimentality; clever without showing off. These melodies possess the rare quality of sounding simple until you try to sing them, at which point their architecture reveals itself. The harmonic language feels both timeless and distinctly mid-century, sophisticated but never cold.

Pianists accompanying vocalists, whether in lessons, recitals, or casual performance. Singers building a standards repertoire or exploring the intersection of film music and song craft. Music theater programs needing elegant, character-driven material that doesn't require full orchestration.

• Notice how Legrand's chord progressions often move by half-step or unexpected root movement. Pianists should voice these carefully rather than defaulting to comfortable voicings; the harmonic color carries narrative weight.
• Many of these melodies sit in a comfortable middle range for voice. Resist the temptation to transpose up for volume; the intimacy of the register is the point.
• Allow rubato in the accompaniment during sustained vocal phrases. These songs breathe like conversations, not metronomes.
• Study the provided chord symbols alongside the written harmony. They sometimes suggest a simpler approach that works beautifully in cabaret or rehearsal settings.

Weave individual songs into vocal recitals or cabaret-style performance evenings, where they anchor programs of 20th-century art song and jazz standards. The collection works equally well as a resource for private voice instruction, offering material that develops musicianship across multiple genres without requiring students to learn entirely new stylistic conventions. Consider pairing selections with American songbook repertoire in a concert exploring how film composers shaped popular melody.

• Reading and interpreting chord symbols in jazz/commercial notation
• Balancing lyrical phrasing with harmonic sophistication
• Understanding rubato and rhythmic flexibility in romantic vocal writing
• Accompanying singers with sensitivity to text and emotional arc
• Recognizing mid-century film music conventions and their influence on song structure
• Translating orchestral sensibilities into keyboard-based arrangements