El Hay Mehullal Ba-Tishbahot

A piyut in the form of a classical Arabic qasida (a long ode consistingof verses divided into two histiches with an indetical and rhyme throughout) with an alphabetical acrostic. The poet describes God's attributes anding with a request for the end of dispersion and the restitution of Jerusalem. The melody in the abac form covers two verses. The arrangement makes good use of the syllables added to the text, a common accurrence in several genres of moroccan music. Several transitional sections in the song allow for vocal improvisation within the stable rhythmic structure.