In 1883, music became compulsory in primary education in France. Ferdinand Buisson (1841-1932), as much as those designing the educational curriculum (1887, 1923) was therefore required to define the details of the curriculum and the teaching methods to be used. Educational songs had many uses: they served as a mnemonic aid for learning, as an expression of imagination and combined effort, and as a means of transmitting both moral and patriotic ideals (Cousin, 1988). Epistemic research in musical education has shown continuity in the decrees and laws concerning the teaching of music which, because of its stringent regulation, was often marginalised in schools (Lescat, 2001). Musicologists have analysed the general content of the songs used in the repertoires from schools (Fijalkow, 2003, Dompnier, 2001). To the best of our knowledge, very little research has focussed on the close relationship between this repertoire and the desire to belong to their homelands due to their love of these “petites patries” (Chanet, 1996). Few studies look at the inevitable difficulties certain teachers experienced when faced with some of the songs. This is an important point, which leads us to question whether or not these songs were actually sung in all schools. This paper examines the content of the songs used in schools between 1890 and 1945. Educational morals were transmitted using well-known, popular, and classical tunes, but hymns and German vocal paradigms continued to set the standard. However, amongst the songs used, there were also entirely original melodies. However, amongst the songs used, there were also entirely original melodies. These repertoires reflect a specific period in music teaching within the wider context of the history of French education. Our paper has two main aims: to analyse the texts with regards to historical context, and to measure the extent to which the music succeeded in emphasising the content of the educational message designed to be conveyed to the pupils.

This study is based on a collection from eight books of songs for schools from the Centre for the Research and Study of Educational History (Centre d’étude et de recherche en histoire de l’éducation, Brittany, France). The corpus is composed of 348 songs, of which 210 were written specifically for schools. From a musical perspective, the analysis will be both structural (articulation of the song, presence or absence of refrains) and interpretive (how might these songs have been sung?). These hypotheses are based on the nature of the teachers’ skills studied in the recent research by Lescat on the epistemology of musical education. From a historical point of view, we must understand both the aim of this teaching and the way in which it was devised.

The results showed some interesting features, both in terms of the texts within France's historical context (1890-1945), and the musical approach designed both by and for primary teachers. The way in which these teachers followed the instructions as they appeared in the musical education manuals is implicitly identifiable in the collection studied. The central issue of the links between "region" and "nation" as documented in certain records from the Vichy regime is also raised.