Ballads are one of the oldest forms of English closed-form poetry. Closed form refers to poems that have distinct rules or features, such as a rhyme scheme. Ballads were originally developed for singing, so they were often set to music. Literary ballads date back to the 15th century, but became popular during the romantic movement during the 18th century. Today, ballads tend to refer mostly to music. The widely used term "power ballad" refers to highly emotional songs that are usually played with rock 'n' roll instruments.
Ballads have had a significant impact on the history of poetry. The medieval ballad "Sir Patrick Spens" is one of the most well-known ballads. Another notable collection of ballads is Thomas Percy's "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry," published in 1765. These works were very influential to romantic-era poets, like William Wordsworth, who were attracted to the conventions, particularly the simple language, used in ballads. In 1798, Wordsworth and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a group of poems called "Lyrical Ballads," which became one of the greatest works of romantic poetry.
The purpose of a ballad is to tell a story, so all elements of a story are included: plot, characters, narrator, dialogue, setting, drama and so on. Some were written about current events, while others were more sensational, focusing on myths or historical stories. Ballads are also a popular form for children's poetry.
Ballads are made up of stanzas of four lines, with the second and fourth lines rhyming. A typical ballad rhyme scheme is abcb. The rhythm of ballads is based on the first and third lines having four stresses and the second and fourth lines having three stresses. Like songs, ballads also repeat important phrases throughout. Simple, but strong, language is used in ballads, and because of the story-like nature of ballads, dialogue is often included. And narrators are used to tell the story.
Most ballads were written for the everyday reader. Because of this, they are often written using simple or common language that most readers would understand. Broadside ballads were often somewhat satirical and were written about humorous, scandalous and even grotesque subjects. Early broadside ballads could be either written or sung. Literary ballads are much more formal than broadside ballads. They follow a specific closed form and are made up of narrative (or story-like) elements, like plot, characters and others.