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

The bland Ballade is a lesser score by the late 19th and early 20th century British composer who deserves a revival for his more substantial works.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025

The Ballade for Piano and Orchestra is a beautiful woven tapestry, but for me the great works lie in her chamber music; a string quartet full of colour, perhaps overlooked because of its brevity.

From The Guardian • Mar. 8, 2020

Skating to Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, he reminded the figure skating world that he has few, if any, peers.

From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2018

When the first theme of the Fourth Ballade returns midway through the piece, it comes vaguely in the left hand: a memory, like a tag onto a previous idea.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2017

These forms, the Ballade, the Rondeau, the Virelai, etc., have already been alluded to as making their appearance among the later growths of early lyrical poetry.

From A Short History of French Literature by Saintsbury, George