Bamshad or Bāmšād was a musician of Sasanian music during the reign of Khosrow II ((r. 590 – 628)).

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 ((r. 590 – 628)) 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 ((r. 590 – 628)). 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.

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