Rhythm is the central link between music and dance, song and poetry. Language is the dance of the tongue, song the poetry of the vocal chords. In classic Greek and Latin verse rhythm was expressed through patterns of long and short syllables. English uses stress and unstress. In Chinese prosody, tones of high and low were basic. All these elements fuse in music. Their patterns can be expressed in percussion which articulates the stream of melodic harmonies in binary or ternary units. Chinese music has a tradition rich in mosaics of rhythmic pattern awaiting elucidation.
