ballade

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableliterary

   A medieval French poem with a strict rhyme pattern, usually three stanzas and a short closing stanza that repeats a refrain line.

   Grammar: Countable: a ballade, three ballades.

   Patterns

   • a ballade by someone
   • a ballade about something

   The poet wrote a ballade about lost love with the same refrain at the end of each stanza.

   Students of medieval literature study the ballade as a fixed form.

   A ballade needs careful rhyming because only a few rhyme sounds are allowed.

2. 2nouncountablemusic

   A dramatic, story-like piece of classical music, usually for piano, written in the nineteenth century.

   Grammar: Usually named after its composer: Chopin's ballades.

   Patterns

   • a ballade for piano

   The pianist played Chopin's first ballade with great feeling.

   Brahms and Liszt also wrote a ballade for solo piano.

   The ballade begins quietly and builds to a fierce ending.

Word forms

Common combinations

write a ballade

He tried to write a ballade in French style.

play a ballade

She will play a ballade by Chopin at the recital.

piano ballade

The piano ballade is a challenging piece to master.

ballade form

The poem follows the strict ballade form.

Chopin's ballade

Chopin's ballade in G minor is often heard in concerts.

Synonyms and how they differ

ballad

A ballad is a narrative song or poem with a simple structure, while a ballade follows stricter, more elaborate rules.

lay

A lay is a short narrative poem or song from the medieval period and has no strict stanza rules like the ballade.

romance

Romance can mean a lyrical musical piece or a story, and it is less specific than ballade.

Word family

ballad noun

a simple song or poem that tells a story

balladeer noun

a person who sings or writes ballads

balladry noun

ballads as a group or the art of writing them

ballet noun

a stage dance form; it shares a distant root with the ballade

Commonly confused: ballade or ballad? ballade or salad?

Practice

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