We all know what a duet, shanty, or anthem is when we hear one, but are you confident you can spot a ballad with certainty? Merriam-Webster explains a ballad as “a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing,” which offers a clue as to the song form’s background, supported by the secondary definition as merely “a simple song.” The art of the ballad can be traced back as early as the late 13th-century, when French chanson balladée would pioneer the art of singing one’s fable or story. As the 19th-century passed, the ballad only grew, standing with equal stature as the Tin Pan Alley ragtime pieces or vaudeville music hall in enduring song forms. So we know the ballad’s broad history, but what exactly is it?