ballade

American  

[buh-lahd, ba-, ba-lad] / bəˈlɑd, bæ-, baˈlad /

noun

plural

ballades

1. a poem consisting commonly of three stanzas having an identical rhyme scheme, followed by an envoy, and having the same last line for each of the stanzas and the envoy.

2. Music. a composition in free style and romantic mood, often for solo piano or for orchestra.

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ballade British  

/ bæˈlɑːd, balad /

noun

1. prosody a verse form consisting of three stanzas and an envoy, all ending with the same line. The first three stanzas commonly have eight or ten lines each and the same rhyme scheme

2. music an instrumental composition, esp for piano, based on or intended to evoke a narrative

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Etymology

Origin of ballade

1485–95; < Middle French, variant of balade ballad

Example Sentences

He does this while improvising an elaborately complex poem called a ballade.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2022

A 14th-century ballade by Guillaume de Machaut set up György Ligeti’s hazy, briery “Hommage à Hilding Rosenberg,” from 1982.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2020

They began with three works by the 14th-century composer Guillaume de Machaut: a rondeau, a ballade and a motet, arranged by Ari Streisfeld, one of the JACK’s violinists.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2010

The ballade commonly consists of three stanzas, with an envoy.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

In the former he attained to considerable skill, and a ballade, which will presently be given, will show his command of dignified expression.

From A Short History of French Literature by Saintsbury, George