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Ballad

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A ballad is a form of verse and is a narrative that is often set to music. They are often 13 lines and use the ABABBCBC format, using couplets of rhymed verse each consisting of 14 syllables. Another popular form is ABAB or ABCB repeated in alternating 8 and 6 syllable lines.

Most European ballads are written in ballad stanzas or quatrains (four-line stanzas) of alternating lines of iambic, tetrameter, and iambic trimeter, known as ballad meter. Usually, only the second and fourth line of a quatrain are rhymed (in the scheme a, b, c, b), which has been taken to suggest that, originally, ballads consisted of couplets (two lines) of rhymed verse, each of 14 syllables.

Although it is now commonly used to describe a love song, ballads actually derive from a form of French poetry known as chanson balladée which were dance songs. Ballads grew into their popularity during the medieval times and remained popular until the 19th century. They are known best for their high usage in Ireland and Britain, though they were widely used across Europe and eventually used in Australia, North Africa, North America and South America. Ballads were also later adapted to be used in operatic settings.

Types of ballads

Traditional ballads - These ballads were the ones that people often associate with minstrels. They are the most popular types of ballads and typically have a theme of love, religion, the supernatural, history, legends, or comedy.

Broadsides - These ballads were printed on cheap paper and were known to be about more vulgar topics. Although traditional ballads were sometimes printed as broadsides other broadsides included topics such as drinking-songs, political events, disaster, prodigies, and marriage.

Literary ballads - These ballads came about when the social elite became interested in ballads. Some topics of these include moral issues, and typical representations of men and women in society (among other topics as well).

Sentimental ballads- These ballads were also known as tear-jerker ballads and were known for being popular among the middle class. They covered topics that were sentimental and narrative.

Ballad wiki reference