Ballads

Ballads are poems, usually expressed through musical stanzas that tell a story. Readers and listeners from children to adults, all socioeconomic classes and education levels enjoy ballads from the Middle Ages to the present day. Ballads tell stories of a time in which the composer lived. They may be stories about families, fisherman, poor-men, love, heroes, and working classes. Some are funny and some are satirical. The poems or stories are not sophisticated; rather they …

…fables, satire and biological sketches are some of the themes behind ballads. Popular country music expresses many of these themes, as cited in the examples mentioned earlier. Everyone can tell a story; not everyone can author a ballad in a manner, which will capture an audience who will repeat the ballad for years. It is this difference which allows poets, singers and artists to keep the art of ballads special and entertaining to all audiences.