1. Traditional Ballads: These are ballads that have been passed down orally through generations and often deal with traditional themes such as love, loss, betrayal, revenge, and supernatural elements. Examples of traditional ballads include "Barbara Allen," "The Cruel Mother," and "Lord Randal."
2. Literary Ballads: Literary ballads are more recent compositions inspired by traditional ballads but written by specific authors. These ballads often have more complex narratives, more sophisticated language, and explore a wider range of themes. Examples include Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and John Keats' "La Belle Dame sans Merci."
3. Folk Ballads: Folk ballads are ballads that emerge from the collective creativity of folk communities and are passed down orally. They are often simple in form and focus on everyday themes that resonate with the experiences of ordinary people. Examples of folk ballads include "The Farmer's Boy" and "The Gypsy Laddie."
4. Child Ballads: Child ballads refer to the collection of traditional ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the 19th century. This collection consists of 305 traditional ballads from various English and Scottish sources. Child ballads are significant for preserving and studying traditional balladry.
5. Broadsides: Broadsides are single sheets of paper containing news, poetry, songs, or ballads that were sold on the streets in the 16th and 17th centuries. Broadsides often included sensational and topical stories, and ballads featuring current events, crimes, and tragedies were popular subjects.
6. Cowboy Ballads: Cowboy ballads are a type of American folk ballad that originated in the 19th century among cowboys in the Western United States. These ballads often depict the adventurous and often dangerous life of cowboys, their experiences on the cattle trails, and their encounters with nature and the challenges of frontier life.
7. Blues Ballads: Blues ballads are a fusion of traditional ballads and the African American blues musical tradition. They combine the narrative structure of ballads with the musical and lyrical characteristics of blues, often expressing themes of hardship, sorrow, unrequited love, and social struggles. Examples include "Stagger Lee" and "Frankie and Johnny."
These categories are not mutually exclusive, and some ballads may fit into more than one classification. Ballads continue to be a vibrant genre, with new ballads being written and performed that reflect contemporary themes and musical styles.