Anglo-American Ballads
During the period of American colonization, colonists from Britain, Scotland, and Ireland brought over many traditions, including musical ones. Ballads, which date back centuries before these waves of colonization, continued to be passed down orally once they were brought to America, and became what is now known as Anglo-American ballads. This tradition thrived in rural Appalachia among the working class and has gone on to influence genres such as country and bluegrass. The stylistic components of Anglo-American ballads reflect working-class, Appalachian ideals, and everyday life.
Basic Charcteristics
They are "square" in structure
Originally, ballad lyrics were based upon poetry, which followed ballad form. In this form, a verse typically contains four lines, and each line lasts for four beats. In addition, ballads always followed a standard rhyme scheme (AABB, ABCB, etc.) The primary reason for this simple structure is to aid in memorization so that these songs could be passed down orally
They are sung a capella (typically)
Ballads come out of the oral tradition, meaning that many of the lyrics and melodies were unwritten. Likewise, ballads were typically sung unaccompanied, although modern iterations of Anglo-American ballads might feature guitar, mandolin, or fiddle accompaniment.
Melodies are built upon simple, pentatonic scales
As the name implies, pentatonic scales are comprised of five notes total. For example, if you play the black keys of a piano (starting on the F# key), that is a pentatonic scale. In traditional ballads, the pentatonic scale was used because it is easy for untrained folk singers to learn and sing.
They tell a story
Ballads were typically very long songs because they were narratives. The basic plot of ballads were typically either cautionary tales, often aimed at young women, love stories, silly animal tales, or some combination of the three. In all ballads, stock phrases (such as "the merry month of May") and characters (such as "sweet William") were often used. Stock phrases also aided in memorization for the singer, and understanding for listeners.
J. O. Epstein, personal communication, January 4, 2018