Ballade
The word “ballade” covers more than one thing in music. Originally it denoted a dance song; later it became a narrative poem that was often set to music. In the 19th century the instrumental piece was added, mostly for piano, and today slow songs in jazz and pop are also called that (usually spelled “ballad”). Which meaning is intended is shown by the context.
- Meaning 1
- narrative poem or song (folk ballad, art ballad)
- Meaning 2
- instrumental piece, above all for piano
- Meaning 3
- slow song in jazz and pop music
- Word origin
- Old French balade, “dance song” (English ballad)
Three meanings, one word
As a poem, a ballad tells an eventful story that often ends tragically. As a composition from jazz and pop music it is kept at a slow or moderate tempo, usually in the form of a song. Then there is the instrumental ballade. The word (English “ballad”, Old French “balade”, dance song) goes back to Provençal. It comes from the Occitan troubadour poetry of the Middle Ages, in which it originally denoted a type of dance song.
For the narrative poem a distinction is made between folk ballad and art ballad. Many ballads have been set to music. The instrumental ballade is a genre of 19th-century piano music which, like the character piece or the song without words, has no fixed form.
| Meaning | Features | Example in the sheet music archive |
|---|---|---|
| Narrative poem or song folk ballad and art ballad | eventful story, often ending tragically; many ballads were set to music | “Es waren zwei Königskinder”, “Lindormen” |
| Instrumental piece above all piano, 19th century | form not fixed | Burgmüller: “Ballade” op. 100 No. 15 |
| Song in jazz and pop pop ballad | moderate or slow tempo, usually in the form of a song | – |
What this looks like in the sheet music archive
All three pieces below carry the word on the sheet (“Lindormen” has it in English: “ballad”), but they are built very differently. Burgmüller’s piano piece has no text. On the page it divides into an opening section, a middle section “dolce” from bar 31 and the return of the opening figure towards the end of the page. “Es waren zwei Königskinder”, by contrast, is a strophic song: one melody carries many stanzas that tell a story. For the piano ballade there is no fixed form.
3/8 time: three eighth notes on top, sixteenth notes below from bar 3
An original example built like Burgmüller’s “Ballade”: three short eighth notes fill a 3/8 bar, and in bars 1 and 2 the low voice rests. In bar 3 it enters with six sixteenth notes under a slur; six sixteenth notes also make a 3/8 bar.
Instrumental piece
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Ballade Friedrich Burgmüller (1806–1874), from: 25 Easy Studies, op. 100 No. 15 · piano · 1 page
Above the first line of music is “Allegro con brio”, under bar 1 “misterioso”. 3/8 time, three ♭ in the key signature, beginning with p. In bars 1 and 2 the right hand plays three staccato eighth-note chords while the left hand rests; from bar 3 a slur of sixteenth notes runs in the left. In bar 31 “dolce” is written and the key signature changes to no sharps or flats; in the last bar of the fourth line the three ♭ and the chord figure from the beginning return, now with pp.
Narrative song
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Es waren zwei Königskinder Folk ballad · melody with chord symbols · 1 page
Under the title is “Volksballade” (folk ballad); the sheet gives folk tradition (words and tune) as the author. 4/4 time, one ♭, chord symbols for guitar. The sheet gives stanzas 1 to 3 and 10 to 13 and notes that the ballad has been handed down in many stanzas and only a selection is printed here.
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Lindormen Swedish ballad · voice and piano, chords for guitar · 2 pages
At the top right is “ballad from Sweden”, below it a note about a publication of 1837. 4/4 time, two ♭, first chord Gm. On page 1 a second version is printed under the first, headed “Variant”; several fermatas appear in the music.
Distinction from the romance
Both words denote narrative songs and are often used as synonyms. The romance can originally be regarded as the Spanish variant of the folk ballad; there is more on this on the page for the romance.
Common mistakes
- Equating ballade with poem: On a sheet of music “ballade” can mean an instrumental piece without any text.
- Counting 3/8 like 3/4: A 3/8 bar has three eighth notes, not three quarter notes.
- Not hearing the staccato: The eighth-note chords at the start of Burgmüller’s piece carry dots and are marked p. Played long and loud, they sound different from what is notated.
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Related terms
RomanceLiedFolk songStrophe/StanzaCharacter pieceÉtudeStaccatoThree-eight timeFermata
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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