"Le bal commence"

Musette is a Paris-born dance and popular music style centered on the accordion and characterized by lilting waltzes, lively polkas, and sentimental melodies. It emerged in the working-class dance halls (bal-musette) of late 19th- and early 20th-century Paris, where Auvergnat bagpipers and Italian accordionists fused rural dance forms with urban nightlife. Its signature sound comes from tremolo-rich “musette” accordion tuning, which creates a shimmering, slightly detuned chorus effect. The repertoire includes valse-musette (3/4), java, polka, and mazurka, often played at brisk tempos with an infectious, dancing pulse and emotive, nostalgic lyricism. At once convivial and romantic, musette became a pillar of French popular culture, later intersecting with chanson and jazz (notably via manouche/gypsy jazz), and remains a touchstone for accordion music worldwide.