The origins of the mélodie. The romance ; The decline of the romance ; The Romantic romance ; The word "mélodie" designating a vocal piece ; Schubert and the German Lied ; The mélodie after Schubert

Some observations concerning the literary aspects of the mélodie. Historical sketch of the theory of prosody ; Four Romantaic poets ; Relation of their poetic expression to music (Théophile Gautier ; Alfred de Musset ; Alphonse de Lamartine ; Victor Hugo)

The mélodie during the Romantic Era. Hector Berlioz ; Giacomo Meyerbeer ; Franz Liszt ; Richard Wagner ; Félicien David ; Henri Reber

The "Bourgeois" mélodie. Charles Gounod ; Victor Massé ; Ernest Reyer ; Georges Bizet ; Léo Delibes ; Jules Massenet

Toward the apogee of French song. The mélodie influenced by instrumental music (Camille Saint Saëns ; Édouard Lalo ; César Franck ; Alexis de Castillon) ; The first great masters (Gabriel Fauré's first collection ; Henri Duparc)

Postscript to the second edition

Appendix I : Hippolyte Monpou and his romanticism

Appendix II : Elegie : an unknown melodie of Franz Liszt

Appendix III : Orientalism in the melodie

Appendix IV : "L'aurore" / by Gabriel Faure

Appendix V : Prose rendering of poetic quotations

Appendix VI : Song catalogue.