The story
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: ballads considered as a group; also, the sharing (transmission), making and performing of ballads, ballads as an activity, as a tradition, as a body of work, as a craft, as implying a community of singers, makers and lovers of ballads. Full definition →
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.