| Front | ballad |
|---|---|
| Back | an old French verse form three eight-line stanza rhyming aba bb cbc and four line envoy rhyming bcbC (the capital letter indicates that the line is used as a refrain). it is not common in English and even the best , probably those by Chaucer and Swinburne fall far short of the power and mastery of the greatest French exemplar , François Villon. A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland from the later medieval period until the 19th century. They were widely used across Europe, and later in Australia, North Africa, North America and South America. Ballads are often 13 lines with an ABABBCBC form, consisting of couplets (two lines) of rhymed verse, each of 14 syllables. Another common form is ABAB or ABCB repeated, in alternating 8 and 6 syllable lines. Many ballads were written and sold as single sheet broadsides. The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ballads. In the later 19th century, the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and is often used for any love song, particularly the sentimental ballad of pop or rock music, although the term is also associated with the concept of a stylized storytelling song or poem, particularly when used as a title for other media such as a film. |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Ballard fiction ballard's story j g world mid
Previous card: Opera ballad popular 18th musical dramatic form pioneered
Up to card list: Wordsworth companion to literature by Bahman Moradi