Bamshad [n 1] ( Persian: بامشاد) or Bāmšād was a musician of Sasanian music during the reign of Khosrow II ( r. 590–628).
Many Shahanshahs of the Sasanian Empire were ardent supporters of music, including the founder of the empire Ardashir I and Bahram V. [2] Khosrow II ( r. 590–628) was the most outstanding patron, his reign being regarded as a golden age of Persian music. [2] Musicians in Khosrow's service include Āzādvar-e Changi, [n 2] Bamshad, the harpist Nagisa (Nakisa), Ramtin, Sarkash (also Sargis or Sarkas) [n 3] and Barbad, [5] who was by-far the most famous. [4] These musicians were usually active as minstrels, which were performers who worked as both court poets and musicians; [6] in the Sasanian Empire there was little distinction between poetry and music. [7]
Essentially nothing is known of Bamshad except that he was a noted musician during the reign of Khosrow II ( r. 590–628). [8] 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. [8]