balladist
Narrative song writer
A balladist is a person who writes or performs ballads—narrative songs or poems that tell stories, often of love, tragedy, or adventure.
The term is somewhat old-fashioned, more common in literary criticism than everyday speech: The Scottish balladists preserved tales that might otherwise have been lost.
One who composes music
Traveling performer of songs
- troubadourMedieval Provençal lyric poet
- bardPoet of epics
- singerVocal music performer
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
crooner · chanteuse · songster · serenader · entertainer · busker
Narrative folk song tradition
- broadsideFierce written assault
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- minstrelsyArt of traveling performers
Sounding sad, sorrowful
- wistfulSadly longing for something
- mournfulShowing or feeling grief
- elegiacSorrowfully commemorative
- melancholicInclined toward reflective sorrow
sentimental · nostalgic · bittersweet · longing · romantic · tragic · tender · lamenting
One who recounts tales
- tale-spinnerOne who creates stories
- chroniclerWriter of historical accounts
- narratorOne who tells events
- raconteurSkilled storyteller
songwriter
One who composes music
rhymester · poet · wordsmith · tunesmith · melodist · penner
minstrel
Traveling performer of songs
- troubadourMedieval Provençal lyric poet
- bardPoet of epics
- singerVocal music performer
vocalist · crooner · chanteuse · songster · serenader · entertainer · busker
balladry
Narrative folk song tradition
plaintive
Sounding sad, sorrowful
melancholic · sentimental · nostalgic · bittersweet · longing · romantic · tragic · tender · lamenting · sorrowful
storyteller
One who recounts tales
- tale-spinnerOne who creates stories
- chroniclerWriter of historical accounts
- narratorOne who tells events