Six-hemistich bayatis in the oral and written literature and their secret

Abstract

Bayati consists from four hemistich. However, in our oral and written literature, in
various written sources, there are also six-hemistich bayatis. This, of course, creates some
confusion. Azerbaijani poet Mohammad Amani, who lived in the 17th century, also added three sixhemistich
bayatis. At first glance, the fact that some bayatis are written in six hemistich may seem
that M.Amani and other artists have broken the form of the bayati. But that’s not the case, because
a bayati cannot have six hemistich. There is a secret here. This article reveals this mystery and
clarifies why M.Amani and other artists wrote six hemistich. The article shows that each sixhemistich
bayati was formed as a result of combining two bayatis.