Broadside Ballads

Before taking Music of Resistance, Revolution, and Liberation (MUS 312) I had never heard of the term “broadside ballad.”  This makes me wonder how many, if any, from my generation know the history of broadside ballad’s, their unique impact upon British and American societies and their significance to our own history.  To define broadside ballad, it is essentially a piece of literature such as a poem or set of lyrics which tells a story or multiple stories of the era, written on a single sheet of paper and sold on the street usually for one penny. The tunes of the ballads remained the same while the lyrics sold on the streets replaced old ones, in order to broadcast the news and current events the lyrics discussed. Broadside ballads could be used to provoke thoughts amongst the population and inform the public of political issues taking place; they were even written to give the most common people of the time a voice amongst the powerful who ruled above them.   

-Above: example of the appearance of a broadside ballad.

Although the exact origin of the broadside ballad is unclear, they supposedly began in Great Britain and were most popular from the 16^th through the 19^th centuries.  A broadside ballad would typically be written about a current issue taking place during the time, such as the French Revolution, voting rights for the poor or even everyday life of normal people.  It would also discuss traditions of the time such as holidays or special events, even the realities of life and tragedies of death.  An example of a British broadside ballad is “Jim the Carter’s Lad,” a song that talks about a young man’s occupation as a carting boy in England.  Many British Broadside ballads exemplified England’s pride in particular occupations most every day people practiced, such as carting. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N36kiusurv4

-Listen to the tune of Jim the Carter's Lad sung by two gentlemen in a local pub in England.

The broadside ballad spread from the United Kingdom to the United States (at the time just colonies) in the 17^th century.  Similar to what was written in Great Britain, broadside ballads in America were used as a way to spread news, voice the people’s opinion and write about the realities of life during the time.  Between the 18^th and 19^th centuries, broadside ballads popularity and common occurrence faded but the 1960s became a period of resurrection for the American broadsides popularity.  Many ballads were written to protest during the civil rights movement and voice the American people’s issues with local legislation.  An example of an American broadside ballad is “The Ballad of Old Monroe.”  This ballad was written in April 1962 by Pete Seeger.  The ballad tells the story of an African American man named Robert F. Williams who was accused of kidnapping a white European couple in Monroe, North Carolina, while he was actually helping them to safety from an angry crowd provoked by the Klu Klux Klan.  The event occurred August, 1961 and a trial took place in May of 1962.  Pete Seeger was asked to write this song in the hope that it would give true representation of the false accusations Williams was accused of simply for his race. 

-Pete Seeger

 The main question that floods my mind is this: if British or American broadside ballads had not been written would history in these two regions of the world be known as it is today?  Writers, musicians and historians of today’s era consider the broadsides to have been either tools to influence political and social movements within societies, or the advertisements of current events taking place.  Of these two viewpoints, I would have to say that broadsides seemed to have been more of a way to talk about everyday life, politics and events that occurred during the era.  However, I believe they had the power to influence those who heard them, but this was not as strong as their use for recording history.