10 Facts about Ballads
Facts about Ballads talk about the interesting musical style in the 19th century. It is always associated with the slow form of love song. This ballad song is very popular in the world. It later evolves into pop ballad and rock power ballads. The word ballad was taken from the word ballares. It was the medieval French dance songs. Actually the word ballet was taken from this similar word. The Scandinavian and Germanic traditions were the sources of the narrative song, function and theme of ballads. The Minnesinger influenced the ballads musically. Here are some interesting facts about ballads for you:
Facts about Ballads 1: Child Ballads
Francis James Child collected 305 traditional ballads from Scotland and England and the American variants in the 2nd half of 19th century in Child Ballads. It was published in 2,500 pages in a book called The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. In 1960s, Bertrand Harris Bronson collected and published the tunes of the ballads.
Facts about Ballads 2: Sentimental ballads
The early Tin Pan Alley music industry which established in 19th century influenced the establishment of sentimental ballad. People also call this musical form as drawing room ballads or tear-jerkers.
Ballad Songs
Facts about Ballads 3: the style or characters of ballad songs
If you check the ballad songs, they have the strophic, narrative and sentimental characters. It was very popular in 19th century. However, the popularity of ballad faded in the beginning of 20th century after the new musical genres such as jazz, blues and ragtime emerged.
Facts about Ballads 4: the slow love song
Even though no ballad anymore due to the presence of new musical genres, people still associate the slow love songs in 1950s and onwards as a part of ballads.
Ballad Song
Facts about Ballads 5: the theme of ballads
The main themes of sentimental ballads today are often linked with sexual and romantic relationship. It emerges as the power ballads and pop ballads.
Facts about Ballads 6: the royalty ballads
The ballad songs during the Victorian era were called the royalty ballads. It was associated with the slow tune of music.
Facts about Ballads
Facts about Ballads 7: the famous historical ballads
Some of interesting historical ballads that you can listen include “Danny Boy” (1913), “After the Ball” (1892) and “Little Rosewood Casket” (1870).
Facts about Ballads 8: the title of songs
The word ballad is also used in the title of some songs such as Billy Joel’s “The Ballad of Billy the Kid and in The Beatles’ “The Ballad of John and Yoko”.
Love Ballads
Facts about Ballads 9: the music
The music of ballads presents the balanced harmony and melody used to attract the audiences. Get facts about Ballad poems here.
Facts about Ballads 10: the instruments
The common instruments used to play ballads include saxophones, pianos, and guitars.
Ballad Pictures
Do you like reading facts about ballads?
