HINDUSTHANI MUSIC SCHOOL

The ghazal is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The ghazal form is ancient, tracing its origin to 7th-century Arabic poetry. A ghazal commonly consists of between five and fifteen couplets, which are independent, but are linked abstractly, in their theme, and more strictly in their poetic form. The ghazal is a short poem consisting of rhyming couplets, called Sher or Bayt. Most ghazals have between seven and twelve shers. The ghazal's uniqueness arises from its rhyme and refrain rules, reffered to as the 'qaafiyaa' and 'radif' respectively. A ghazal's rhyming patter may be described as AA, BA, CA, DA, ... and so on.