Medieval ballads are musically narrated texts. While the poem is being read, an instrumental soundtrack plays in the background. These old songs are poetry-based music and are calming to hear. If you enjoy poetry and music, this pairing is ideal for you. You’d adore it! Chevy Chase, an American comedian, and actor, got his stage name and childhood nickname from the song (born Cornelius Crane Chase, 1943).
The lyric gave rise to the term “chivvy,” which means to harass or nag someone into doing something.
History of the Ballad
The ballad gets its name from the medieval Scottish dance tunes known as “ballares” (L: ballare, to dance), from which the word “ballet” and the French ballade also stem. Their concept and purpose as a narrative song may have been inspired by Scandinavian and Germanic storytelling traditions, which may be observed in poetry like Beowulf. They were influenced musically by the Minnesang tradition’s Minnelieder. The ballad “Judas,” which may be found in a 13th-century manuscript, is the first instance of a recognizable ballad in England.
A ballad is a type of verse that frequently tells a story while playing music. The medieval French balladée or ballade, original “dance songs,” is where ballads get their name. From the Late Middle Ages through the 19th century, popular poetry and song in Britain and Ireland tended to be ballad-based.
In addition to Australia, North Africa, North America, and South America, they were extensively employed throughout Europe. Ballads frequently have 13 lines with an ABABBCBC structure and rhymed couplets (two ropes) with 14 syllables each. Another typical format is the repetition of ABAB or ABCB in lines of alternately eight and six syllables.
A lot of ballads were published as single-sheet broadsides and sold. From the 18th century onward, poets and composers frequently employed the structure to create lyrical ballads. However, the term is also linked to the idea of a stylized storytelling song or poem, mainly when used as the title for other media like a film. In the later 19th century, the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and is now frequently used for any love song, notably the sentimental ballad of pop or rock music.
Background of the Celebrity
He is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He was born in New York, USA, and goes by the name Cornelius Crane Chase. His birthday is October 8, 1943. Chase is currently 78 years old and will turn 79 this October. Chase was named after his adopted grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chase.
His grandmother named Chevy after the character in the old English ballad, “The Ballad of Chevy Chase.” He is well known for his Saturday Night Live performances. His weekly weekend update segment swiftly rose to fame. Out of his five Primetime Emmy nominations for writing and performing, he won three of them. In 1978’s comedy Foul Play, he played the lead role and received two nominations for Golden Globe Awards.
On February 23, 1973, he wed Susan Hewitt in New York. Following their divorce on February 1, 1976, Chase remarried Jacqueline Carlin. On December 4, 1976, Chase and Jacqueline were legally married. On November 14, 1980, this marriage likewise terminated in divorce. On June 19, 1982, he married Jayni Luke, his third wife. Bedford, New York, is the home of Chase and Jayni, parents of three girls.
How the Celebrity Received Their Stage Name
Chevy Chase’s stage name has an unexpected beginning, as if the reasons for his real name weren’t intriguing enough. Most people receive nicknames from family members while they are young. Some handles last for many years, while others are swiftly forgotten. It is scarce for people to use their childhood nicknames professionally. Despite this, Cornelius Chase’s grandmother gave him the nickname Chevy when he was a little child, and he has continued to go by it ever since.
The English ballad “The Ballad of Chevy Chase” is Child Ballad No. 162. This name refers to two ballads that share the same narrative. It’s possible that there were other renditions of this formerly well-known tune because ballads were first transmitted orally before being recorded.
The other songs’ music was unrelated to “The Ballad of Chevy Chase,” Inspired by the name Chevy Chase, this song tells the story of a sizable hunting party in the Cheviot Hills, a region of rolling hills that spans the Anglo-Scottish boundary between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. Percy, the English Earl of Northumberland, is leading the quest.
The Scottish Earl Douglas, who considered this hunt an invasion of Scotland, had forbidden it. He attacked in retaliation, causing a slaughter in which only 110 people escaped. The first and second ballads were collected in Thomas Percy’s Reliques and Francis James Child’s Child Ballads, respectively. There were several variations gathered in England.
Impact of the Ballad on the Celebrity
Chase was named Cornelius after his adoptive grandfather, while his grandmother gave him the moniker Chevy from the medieval English poem “The Ballad of Chevy Chase.”
NBC’s late-night comedy television program Saturday Night Live (SNL) debuted in October 1975 and had Chase as one of its initial cast members. He began every episode throughout the first season, except two, with “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” The comment was frequently followed by “The Fall of the Week,” a pratfall. Chase gained notoriety for his aptitude for physical humor.
In one comedic sketch, he imitated a real-life occurrence in which President Gerald Ford tripped while exiting Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria. Chevy Chase’s catchphrase entrance for Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment was “I’m Chevy Chase… and you’re not.” “Good night, and have a nice day tomorrow,” his catchphrase, was later revived by Jane Curtin and Tina Fey.
Chase contributed comedic writing to Weekend Update. He composed and performed “The News for the Hard of Hearing,” for instance. Garrett Morris helped Chase read this comedy’s most famous story of the day by yelling it out. The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and several later news parody programs.
Summary
Crane Chase, better known as Chevy Chase, is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his Saturday Night Live roles and in films such as National Lampoon’s Vacation and Caddyshack. Interestingly, he received his stage name from a medieval English ballad. The Ballad of Chevy Chase tells the story of a battle between two noble houses in the 13th century and is thought to be the origin of the term Chevy Chase.