Basit

"Basīṭ" (Arabic: بسيط), or "al-basīṭ" (البسيط), is a compound meter used in classical Arabic poetry. The word literally means "simple" or "ordinary" in Arabic.

Its form is as follows (the letter L representing a long syllable and S representing a short syllable):

: L L S L | L S L | L L S L | L S L
: L L S L | L S L | L L S L | L S L

It is often used alongside another meter called "ṭawīl" (طويل).

The term is also used in a musical context; in the "Andalusi nubah", or classical suites, of Morocco, each "nubah", or suite, is divided into five main movements, called "mīzān" (ميزان; plural: "mawāzīn", موازين), each of which uses a different rhythm. These "mawāzīn" are as follows:

#"Basīṭ" (6/4)
#"Qāim wa nusf" (8/4)
#"Btāyhī" (8/4)
#"Darj" (4/4)
#"Quddām" (3/4 or 6/8) [http://membres.lycos.fr/duhri/andalusian-music.htm]

External links

* [http://www.cacac.org/ARABIC_POETRY.htm Arabic poetry page]