Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fixed verse form poem: A ballade is a poetic form consisting of three stanzas, each with an identical rhyme scheme and line length, followed by a shorter concluding stanza called an envoy.
   • A narrative poem or song: Historically, the term can also refer to a narrative poem or a song that tells a story, often of a lyrical or romantic nature.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The poet composed a ballade in the traditional French style.
  • Chaucer's ballades are considered masterpieces of medieval English poetry.
  • She analyzed the rhyme scheme of the 14th-century ballade.

Advanced Usage

• "Ballade royal": A specific variant of the ballade form that uses a seven-line stanza.
  • The ballade royal is a more elaborate structure than the standard form.
• Musical ballade: In music, particularly in the Romantic era, an instrumental composition of a narrative or lyrical character.
  • Chopin's ballades for piano are celebrated for their dramatic storytelling.

Variants and Related Words

• Ballad (n): A narrative folk song or a simple narrative poem, distinct from the fixed-form ballade.
  • The folk singer performed a traditional ballad about a lost love.
• Balladeer (n): A singer or composer of ballads.
  • The medieval balladeer traveled from town to town.

Synonyms

• Poem: A piece of writing in verse.
• Verse composition: A work written in metrical lines.

Related Phrases

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(This word is not typically used in idioms.)

Noun

1. a poem consisting of 3 stanzas and an envoy