Songs and Music in Medieval Persian Poetry (11th-13th century)

In medieval Persian poems (maṯnavi), beginning with Ferdowsi's Šāh-nāmé (‘Book of Kings’) (11th cent.), bacchic-musical moments we see the presence of minstrels and singers. These are described with extensive use of related musical terminology (names of instruments, related melodies, etc.). The typical occasion is the frequent banquets (bazm) at courts where music and singing are heard while perhaps tasting good wine: moments of leisure in the Persian poems alter-nate with episodes of battles (razm). In particular, we will dwell on the minstrel par excellence, the legendary Bārbad, his stories and his music and songs, some-times used – a particularly intriguing aspect - also as a means of transmission or exchange of messages. The poets from whom we will draw exemplification are Ferdowsi (10th-11th cent.) and Neẓāmi Ganǧavi (12th-13th cent.), who tell us about the minstrel Bārbad in the context of the famous story of the aristocratic lovers King Ḫosrow and Princess Širin. In this article we will also focus on some names of Persian musical modes and melodies that partly coincide with the names of certain musical modes of the Maqām system prevalent in the Islamic areas.