ballata

The ballata is a medieval Italian song form that typically alternates between stanzas and a refrain. It was often accompanied by dancing.1

In terms of musical structure, the ballata is considered a reverting type, similar to the French virelai and rondeau, and the German bar form. This means it features a pattern of repetition and contrast, often represented as A b b a A, where 'A' signifies a repeated section of music and text, and 'b' represents a different musical section with new text.2

Composers like Francesco Landini were prominent in writing ballatas during the 14th century in Italy. The ballata was also recognized as a smaller vocal form that could be set to music with a predominant vocal top line supported by simpler instrumental lines.34