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Barbad
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Barbad was a Persian musician, poet and music theorist from the Sasanian Empire, active at the end of the sixth and the beginning of the seventh century. He was chief minstrel and poet at the court of Shah Khosrow II, who reigned from 590 to 628. Barbad played the barbat, a Persian lute, and was regarded as the most famous Persian musician of his time. Little is known about his life, but his existence is generally considered certain. At court he worked with other musicians, such as Sarkash.
Music and breakthrough
Almost all of his music and poetry has been lost, apart from a single fragment of a poem. No source from the Sasanian period writes about him. His fame survived through oral tradition, until the poet Khaled ibn Fayyaz, who died around 718, mentioned him in an Arabic poem. Later he appears often in Persian literature, most famously in the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi. Many innovations in Persian music theory and practice are traditionally attributed to Barbad, although these attributions were written down centuries after his death and are therefore uncertain.
Influence
Barbad is often called the founder of Persian music and inspired musicians such as Ishaq al-Mawsili. His influence lies more in the story than in preserved sound. For anyone who wants to understand the history of music in Iran, he is the starting point: a court musician whose name was passed on for centuries, even when his music had long since vanished.
Listening
Mentioned in other articles
- Persian classical music Genre
Already around 600 the poet and musician Barbad sang at the Sasanian court of King Khosrow II, but almost nothing of his music has survived.