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How does the communal re-creation theory explain the creation of traditional ballads?

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ballad Detail of an undated broadside ballad distributed in Boston following the execution of Levi Ames for burglary and intended to warn “thoughtless Youth.”

The communal re-creation theory, proposed by scholars Phillips Barry and G.H. Gerould, offers a nuanced perspective on how traditional ballads are formed. Unlike earlier theories that suggested ballads were composed collectively by a group, this theory acknowledges that a ballad typically begins as an individual composition.1

However, the theory posits that the identity of the original author is of little consequence. A work does not truly become a "ballad" until it is accepted by the folk community and undergoes a process of transformation through the "inevitable variations of tradition". In this context, the individual singer does not act as a self-expressive artist but rather as a deputy of the public voice.1

Through this ongoing process of oral transmission, the song is continuously remolded to align with the beliefs, emotional needs, and lifestyle of the community. Consequently, the ballad evolves into a communal product, demonstrating that tradition preserves these narratives not through exact reproduction, but through constant, cumulative re-creation.21