1
: a fixed verse form consisting usually of three stanzas with recurrent rhymes, an envoi, and an identical refrain for each part
2
: a musical composition usually for piano suggesting the epic ballad
Examples of ballade in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chopin's major piano works include mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, polonaises, the instrumental ballade (which Chopin created as an instrumental genre), études, impromptus, scherzi, preludes, and sonatas, some published only posthumously.
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New Atlas, 9 June 2025
Like that Chopin ballade, a good routine has light and shade, fast sections and longueurs.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020
Video: Manjula Varghese For the seniors, Christopher knocked out all four Chopin ballades.
—Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 9 June 2019
And not just the easy stuff, but the whirling ballades and the high-octane waltzes and scherzos that usually separate the young pianists from the veterans but — in the case of a prodigy like Christopher — don’t.
—Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 9 June 2019
The four ballades are full of beautiful music, a point emphasized in Pierdomenico’s lyrical interpretations.
—Olin Chism, star-telegram.com, 5 June 2017
The second of two great septuagenarian pianists passing through New York this week brings with him an all-Chopin program, featuring two sets of nocturnes, a couple of ballades, a scherzo, a berceuse and the third of the composer’s sonatas.
—David Allen, New York Times, 18 May 2017
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New Atlas, 9 June 2025
Like that Chopin ballade, a good routine has light and shade, fast sections and longueurs.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2020
Video: Manjula Varghese For the seniors, Christopher knocked out all four Chopin ballades.
—Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 9 June 2019
And not just the easy stuff, but the whirling ballades and the high-octane waltzes and scherzos that usually separate the young pianists from the veterans but — in the case of a prodigy like Christopher — don’t.
—Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 9 June 2019
The four ballades are full of beautiful music, a point emphasized in Pierdomenico’s lyrical interpretations.
—Olin Chism, star-telegram.com, 5 June 2017
The second of two great septuagenarian pianists passing through New York this week brings with him an all-Chopin program, featuring two sets of nocturnes, a couple of ballades, a scherzo, a berceuse and the third of the composer’s sonatas.
—David Allen, New York Times, 18 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Ballade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballade. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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