Ballade (classical music)
Emerging in the Romantic era, it became a medium for composers to explore dramatic and expressive storytelling through complex, lyrical themes and virtuosic techniques.This structure allowed poets to weave tales of romance, heroism, and folklore, with Guillaume de Machaut being a key figure in popularizing this poetic style.[5] Additionally, the ballade existed as a courtly dance, marked by its elegance and association with nobility, reinforcing its connection to grand and noble themes.By the Romantic era, composers like Chopin began adapting the narrative essence of the ballade, creating expressive piano works that conveyed dramatic arcs and emotional depth without adhering to a strict poetic structure.[6] These musical ballades embraced the storytelling spirit of their literary predecessors, allowing composers to explore narrative through melody and thematic development.Recurring rhythmic motifs and melodic phrases are often varied in intensity, tempo, and character, contributing to a sense of movement and emotional evolution within the piece.This use of recurring musical elements mirrors literary storytelling techniques, allowing composers to create a dynamic and expressive form.There are also ballads for orchestra by Grace Williams, Gottfried von Einem, Alexander Glazunov, and Kurt Atterberg, and for solo instruments and orchestra; piano: Ture Rangström, Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud, Ludomir Różycki, and Norman Dello Joio; cello: Heino Eller, Reinhold Glière, and Frederic d'Erlanger; Julius Röntgen (violin), Benjamin Britten (two pianos), Hermann Haller (horn), and Hendrik Andriessen (oboe); as well as ballads for various other combinations of instruments and voices by György Ligeti, Eric Ewazen, Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens, Sergei Prokofiev, Ottorino Respighi, and Kurt Weill.