Medival Lyrics and Ballads
.... The passing of ballads orally was the most popular. Francis James Child was the first to put together a collection of over 300 ballads (Child). The only ballads that can be traced are those, which have been written. Other than that, there is very little information available about their origins. We will never be sure exactly how much the people who eventually documented these ballads embellished the stories. It is almost impossible to discuss the ballad without touching on Judas. Judas is considered the first ballad ever written (Dixon). It is estimated to be over 150 years older than any other ballad. Though it is sometimes questioned whether Judas is actually a ballad or if it is a poem, it was included in Child’s collection and holds most of the criteria for a traditional ballad (Child). The epic ballad is one of the largest groups of ballads. These tales are mostly about common events. They lack a dramatic crisis and center on a very complex plot. Believe it or not, most of the plots are about borrowing. Borrowing things from one another often caused friction between neighbors, which made for great stories. Romantic situations were often tied into these conflicts as well. In Fair Annie the conflict is between two women on a ship and most of the story is about an argument over making a bed underlying the whole thing is a theme of a husband being unfaithful. Child Maurice has a very romantic story in it involving a man trying to find the woman he loves. Almost all of the structures are similar with epic ballads in that they continually repeat certain lines. Child Maurice and Fair Annie are no exceptions to this rule. Outlaw ballads are a popular style of story. The people responsible for writing these ballads were usually very partial and planned on settling a score. Some had an ethical message to deliver and others were trying to right certain wrongs in society (Dixon). These ballads had one popular character that has even transcended into our generation, Robin Hood. Robin Hood and the Monk is one of the more popular of the Robin Hood ballads, though there were many different stories chronicling his adventures. These ballads were exciting and full of thrills for the reader. The outlaws first encounter danger, then plan an exhilarating rescue. In some outlaw ballads, the outlaws were forgiven by the lords or kings for their deeds (Knight). Funeral ballads are not quite as full of adventure than the outlaw ballads. These ballads are also much more scarce and not as available to us as the outlaw ballads. They are fairly self-explanatory in their definition, they convey grief. Sir Patrick Spens is by far the most notable funeral ballad. Lord Maxwell’s Last Good Night is often considered a member of this type of ballad but is slowly becoming disputed as being a ballad at all (Gummere). This story doesn’t tell a hero’s story, it only shows a man’s emotion. Religious ballads are not exactly rare but they typically recite scriptures and narrate stories in the bible. These ballads are used to produce role models for those hearing them. The supernatural/superstitious ballads are, like the funeral ballad, scarce. These are stories of ghosts, and magical creatures. In Sweet William’s Ghost the ghost, William, comes to speak to his lover Margret: My bones are buried in yon kirkyard Afar beyond the sea And it is but my spirit, Margret That's now speaking to thee (Child). Clerk Colvill is more superstitious in that it involves mermaids. He has, according to the story, left a mermaid to marry a woman. The mermaid comes back for revenge and kills him. The final ballads I will discuss are historical ballads. These stories are different from other ballads in that they are not sung (Dixon). They are merely recited and include very descriptive details. The name can be deceiving, however, in that not all are in a chronological order or told in past tense. There are few that are told in present tense but are referring to past events. Medieval lyrics differentiate from ballads because they, for the most part, do not involve dance and tend to be much more condensed. They are generally very short and to the point. This briefness often pushes the lyrics to be very intense. They often paint a vivid picture of the author’s feelings at that moment. Many literary devices are used to achieve this powerful, and often extreme, mood (Jokinen). Allegories, comparison, contrast, and internal rhyme all help this cause (Dixon). There are numerous ways in which lyrics are written....