Bamshad Explained

Bamshad
Birth Date:6th–7th centuries
Death Date:c. 628
Nationality:Persian
Occupation:Musician, Minstrel-Poet
Known For:Noted musician during the reign of Khosrow II
Notable Works:Sasanian music

Bamshad (fa|بامشاد) or Bāmšād was a musician of Sasanian music during the reign of Khosrow II .

Life and career

Many Shahanshahs of the Sasanian Empire were ardent supporters of music, including the founder of the empire Ardashir I and Bahram V. Khosrow II was the most outstanding patron, his reign being regarded as a golden age of Persian music. Musicians in Khosrow's service include Āzādvar-e Changi, Bamshad, the harpist Nagisa (Nakisa), Ramtin, Sarkash (also Sargis or Sarkas) and Barbad, who was by-far the most famous. These musicians were usually active as minstrels, which were performers who worked as both court poets and musicians; in the Sasanian Empire there was little distinction between poetry and music.

Essentially nothing is known of Bamshad except that he was a noted musician during the reign of Khosrow II . His name comes from his practice of playing music at dawn every day: "bam" and "shad" translate as "dawn" and "happiness".

The Persian lexicons, for example Dehḵodā's Loḡat-nāma, describe him as a well-known musician equal to Barbad. He is also mentioned in a poem by the Persian poet Manūčehrī.

Sources

Books and Chapters
Journal and Encyclopedia articles

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bamshad".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.