In jazz and popular music, the term ballad denotes a short song in a slow tempo, usually with a romantic or sentimental text, though the term is also used for instrumental pieces.^[1] Ballad is also used in modern pop and folk music for a (usually faster) strophic narrative song, analogous to the older poetic term ballad.^[2] The latter usage is usually meant when the word ballad appears in the song's title. The term ballad can denote one of the following things: Ballad: 1. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For the music genre, see Pop music. ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tempo (disambiguation). ... An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... Strophic form, or chorus form, is a sectional and/or additive way of structuring a piece of music based on the repetition of one formal section or block played repeatedly. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ...

Jazz and traditional pop music

Evolution of the term

The common modern usage of ballad may have evolved from usage in 19th-century Britain. Ballads were generally sentimental, narrative, strophic songs published separately or as part of an opera (descendants perhaps of broadside ballads, but with printed music, and usually newly composed; see also ballad opera). These were sometimes called "drawing-room ballads" owing to their popularity with the middle classes. By the Victorian era ballad had come to mean any sentimental popular song, especially so-called "royalty ballads", which publishers would pay popular singers to perform in Britain and the United States on "ballad concerts." Some of Stephen Foster's songs exemplify this genre.^[3] For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Printed lyrics of folk songs were extremely popular from the 16th century until the early 20th century. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ... Ballad opera is a genre of 18th century English stage entertainment. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... For other persons named Stephen Foster, see Stephen Foster (disambiguation). ...

By the 1920s, composers of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway used ballad to signify a slow, sentimental tune or love song, often written in a fairly standardized form (see below). Jazz musicians sometimes broaden the term still further to embrace all slow-tempo pieces.^[4] Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ...

Form

Most pop standard and jazz ballads are built from the following elements: The term pop standards refers to an American songwriting, arranging, and singing style that is widely considered as the high point of Western vocal popular music. ...

1. A single, introductory verse; usually around 16 bars in length, and ending on the dominant. This is often omitted in performance, especially for an instrumental rendition, and some ballads, especially later ones, lack it altogether.
2. The chorus or refrain, i.e. the song proper. Usually it is 16 or 32 bars long, and in AABA form, though other forms such as ABAC are not uncommon, and more complex or irregular forms are far from unheard-of. In AABA forms the B section is usually referred to as the bridge.
3. Optionally, a brief coda, sometimes based on material from the bridge, as in "Over the Rainbow".^[5]

In musical notation, a bar or measure is a segment of time defined as a given number of beats of a given duration. ... In music, the dominant is the fifth degree of the scale. ... A refrain (from the Old French refraindre to repeat, likely from Vulgar Latin refringere) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the chorus of a song. ... The thirty-two-bar form, often shortened to AABA, is a musical form common in Tin Pan Alley songs, later popular music including rock and pop music, and jazz, though there were few instances of it in any type of popular music until the late teens, it became the principal... In popular music, especially occidental, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section. ... Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ... For other uses, see Over the Rainbow (disambiguation). ...

Practice

Ballads form an important part of the jazz repertory especially, and a pop or jazz set or act (period between breaks) will usually contain one or two ballads to provide a relaxed, intimate change of pace from faster material; or to feature a singer or instrumental soloist. As noted above, the introduction or verse is most often omitted, even by singers; though some ballads, for instance "Lush Life" or "'Round Midnight", traditionally retain their introductions. Repetitions of the chorus tend to be relatively few—often only the second half (BA) of the song-form is repeated—and improvisation, beyond ornamentation of the melody, is usually limited, though the singer or soloist often interpolates an improvised cadenza before the final note of the song. Occasionally a ballad will be reinterpreted as an up-tempo number (and vice-versa), especially by instrumentalists. "Autumn Leaves", for instance, will sometimes receive both treatments in a single performance (as well as being sung in two languages). Thus the identification of a particular song as a ballad can be contingent on the performer, and ballad can sometimes refer to the performing style rather than the song itself. Lush Life is a jazz standard with lyrics and music written by Billy Strayhorn from 1933 to 1938. ... Round Midnight is a 1944 song by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. ... In music, a cadenza (Italian for cadence) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a free rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display. ... Autumn Leaves is a much-recorded popular song. ...

Examples

Famous traditional pop and jazz standard ballads include: mainstream pop music Traditional pop music is a neologism for Western popular music which encompasses music that succeeded big band music and preceded rock and roll as the most popular kind of music in the United States, most of Europe, and some other parts of the world. ... Jazz standard refers to a tune that is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians. ...

For other uses, see Over the Rainbow (disambiguation). ... Harold Arlen (February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music. ... There are a number of things named Body and Soul: Body and Soul is the title of a popular song written in 1930 by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and John Green. ... For the basketball player see Johnny Green (basketball) Johnny Green (10 October 1908, New York, New York – 15 May 1989 Los Angeles) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, and conductor. ... Misty is a jazz standard written in 1954 by the pianist Erroll Garner. ... Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose distinctive and melodic style brought him both popular acclaim and the admiration of peers. ... The Man I Love is a popular standard, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira. ... “Gershwin” redirects here. ... My Funny Valentine is a song composed by Richard Rodgers to lyrics by Lorenz Hart and is now considered a jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. ... Rodgers and Hart was the songwriting team consisting of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. ... For other uses, see God Bless the Child (disambiguation). ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later nicknamed Lady Day (see Jazz royalty regarding similar nicknames), was an American jazz singer, a seminal influence on jazz and pop singers, and generally regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists. ... Cole Porters Evry Time We Say Goodbye was introduced in 1944 in Billy Roses musical revue, Seven Lively Arts. ... Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter from Peru, Indiana. ... Naima is a ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959, and named after his then wife, Juanita Naima Grubb. ... Coltrane redirects here. ... Lush Life is a jazz standard with lyrics and music written by Billy Strayhorn from 1933 to 1938. ... Billy Strayhorn, photographed by Carl Van Vechten on 14. ... Duke Ellington composed In A Sentimental Mood in 1935. ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Round Midnight is a 1944 song by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. ... Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. ...

Modern pop and folk music

Folk

Main article: Ballad

Folk musicians usually use ballad to refer to a narrative strophic song, traditional or newly composed, that may be fast or slow. Folk ballads often have several verses, and generally follow either a simple verse form (i.e. Verse 1, Verse 2...) or a verse-chorus form (Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus...). The chorus may consist of nonsense words. Multiple folk ballad texts may share the same melody; conversely the same text may be sung to multiple melodies.^[6] Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the...

Some exemplars include:

• "Barbara Allen", and the various iterations of "The Daemon Lover" (both Child Ballads in simple verse form, still popular today);
• "Whiskey in the Jar" (a traditional ballad with a nonsense chorus);
• Dominic Behan's "The Patriot Game" (a short modern ballad, in simple verse form);
• Eric Bogle's "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (a modern anti-war ballad, in a more complex form, verse-chorus with a coda).

The Ballad of Barbara Allen, also known as Barbara Ellen, Barbry Allen, Barbriallen, etc. ... The Daemon Lover, also known as James Harris, James Herries, or The House Carpenter (Roud 14, Child 243) is a popular ballad from Britain. ... The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. ... Whiskey In The Jar is a song and a single off of heavy metal group Metallicas studio album Garage Inc. ... Dominic Behan (22 October 1928 - 3 August 1989)(Gaelic: Doiminic Ó Beacháin) was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. ... The Patriot Game is an Irish ballad that critically examines the posture of the IRA during the 1950s. ... Eric Bogle (born September 23, 1944) is a Scottish-born Australian singer and songwriter. ... George Lamberts Anzac, the landing 1915, depicting the landing at Anzac Cove. ... An anti-war song is a musical composition perceived (by the public or critics) as having an anti-war theme on its lyrics. ... Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ...

Pop

In modern popular music (since c. 1955) one encounters both of the above usages for ballad. For the music genre, see Pop music. ...

1. When used generically, as in power ballad or rock ballad, it usually refers to a slow love song, in the American popular tradition. Musicologist Richard Middleton offers this broader definition: "[By] the time of the development of the rock ballad the genre can be defined simply as a slowish pop song, with subjectively orientated and often romantic themes and a personal mode of address."^[7]
2. When the word ballad appears in the title of a song, as for example in Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets" or Billy Joel's "The Ballad of Billy the Kid", the folk-music sense is generally implied. Ballad is also sometimes applied to strophic story-songs more generally, such as Don McLean's "American Pie". Modern pop ballads of this kind tend towards greater formal complexity than their folk antecedents.^[8]

Thus for example: while The Beatles' "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and their "Hey Jude" differ greatly from one another in form, lyrical content and musical character, both are commonly referred to as ballads. To emphasize the emotional aspect of a power ballad, crowds customarily hold up lit lighters. ... Ballad of the Green Berets LP Barry Sadler (November 1, 1940 – September 8, 1989) was an American author and musician. ... Ballad of the Green Berets is a patriotic song in the ballad style about the Green Berets, an elite special force in the U.S. Army. ... William Martin Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist, songwriter, composer and musician. ... The Ballad of Billy the Kid is a Billy Joel song from the album Piano Man (1973). ... For other people with similar names see Don MacLean. ... For other uses, see American Pie (disambiguation). ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... The Ballad of John and Yoko is a Beatles song written by John Lennon. ... For the album of the same name, see Hey Jude (album). ...

See also

• Corrido - a form of ballad originating in northern Mexico and the U.S. southwest
• Song structure (popular music)
• Blues ballad
• Torch song
• Power ballad

The corrido is a popular narrative song and poetry form, a ballad, of the mestizo Mexican cultural area (which includes the Southwestern states of the United States, taken from Mexican sovereignty in the mid 19th Century). ... The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional forms, such as strophic form. ... The blues ballad creates the sound of the blues usually using a blues scale and often incorporating blues standard chord progressions though often with a bridge using a different chord progression) with the conventional 32-bar popular song from Tin Pan Alley. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... To emphasize the emotional aspect of a power ballad, crowds customarily hold up lit lighters. ...

Notes

References and further reading

• Middleton, Richard. "Popular Music (I)". Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (subscription required). Accessed 2007-04-06.
• Randel, Don (1986). The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-61525-5.
• Temperley, Nicholas. "Ballad (II, 2)". Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (subscription required). Accessed 2007-04-06.
• Witmer, Robert. "Ballad (jazz)". Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (subscription required). Accessed 2007-04-06.