A ballad is a narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ballad)
The ballad, based on the French word "ballade", has been around for a millenium. The poetry form has a rhythmic 4-3-4-3 line beat and is divided into quatrains. Religion, love, tragedy and politics were all early subjects for ballads. The "ballade" first appeared in Provencal folk music in France. Troubadour poets developped the cadence of the poetic form. Later the ballad spread to Spain, Italy and post-Norman England.
Medieval troubadours set the rhythm for the ballade courtesy
The French form of the ballade, based on three rhyming sounds, follows the following pattern:
A
B
A
B
B
C
B
C2
Note: First stanza is repeated three times.
Envoy (4 line version)
B
C
B
C2
Envoy (5 line version)
B
C
B
C2
There are variations on this format, but the cadence of the poem is the same.
Romantic poets like Lord Byron, John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley all wrote ballads, but the form wasn't immortalized until the next generation of poets which included William Wordsworth, Thomas Percy and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Perhaps the most famous ballad, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", was penned by the latter in 1834 (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173253).
Gustave Dore etching for Rime of the Ancient Mariner published in 1798, courtesy http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Rime_of_the_Ancient_Mariner-Albatross-Dore.jpg.
British street ballads were popular during the Victorian era. Printed on thin sheets of paper, they were sold on the streets for a penny or half penny. Besides the traditional subjects, street ballads centred on humorous anecdotes, social reform and crime (http://www.library.kent.edu/street-ballads-victorian-england).
Not all ballads have adult like themes; some are geared for children. Because of the ballad's strong rhythm, repetition and rhyme, it does appeal to young minds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_Child_Ballads).
The Three Ravens circa 1919 courtesy
English folk and American blues musicians popularized the music ballad. B. B. King's blues ballad, Sneakin Around can be viewed at http://www.metrolyrics.com/sneakin-around-lyrics-bb-king.html.
Dudley Randall's Ballad of Birmingham was written during the Civil Rights Movement. Visit http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175900 to view the poem.
Four black girls perished in the bombing of a Baptist Church circa 1963 prompting Dudley Randall to write Ballad of Birmingham courtesy http://thyblackman.com/2013/09/13/thy-racial-ghosts-of-the-birmingham-church-bombing-still-haunt-america/.
