Martin Best (born 13 April 1942) is an English singer,

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can refe ...

, guitarist, and composer. Best has been active mainly in

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

including

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who ...

songs and the French

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

traditions, in works related to

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, such as the sonnets and music to Shakespeare plays, and also in songs of the

Swedish ballad tradition {{Use dmy dates, date=December 2020 The Scandinavian ballad tradition is the tradition of Scandinavian poetic singer-songwriters. Within the tradition, the Swedish ballad tradition has been particularly influential, but the tradition also exists in ...

. He has often performed in constellations named ''Martin Best Consort'' and ''Martin Best Medieval Ensemble''. Best got a position at the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

in the mid 1960s and remained associated with them for over 30 years as an actor-singer, musician and composer. His first works in the Swedish ballad tradition were the songs of

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well ...

, Sweden's unofficial national poet, who is sometimes considered the starting point of the Swedish ballad tradition. Best recorded three albums with Bellman's songs, mainly from the song collections ''

Fredman's Epistles ''Fredmans epistlar'' (English: ''Fredman's Epistles'') is a collection of 82 poems set to music by Carl Michael Bellman, a major figure in Swedish 18th century song. Though first published in 1790, it was created over a period of twenty years ...

'' in translations by

Paul Britten Austin Paul Britten Austin (5 April 1922 – 25 July 2005) was an English author, translator, broadcaster, administrator, and scholar of Swedish literature. He is known in particular for his translations of and books on the Swedish musician, si ...

, with some additions from '' Fredman's Songs'' as well as other Bellman works: ''To Carl Michael with Love'' (1975), ''Bellman in Britain'' (1978), and ''Songs of Carl Michael Bellman''. Songs from the two first albums were later collected on a CD, also named ''To Carl Michael with Love''. Göran Forsling wrote that "With his flexible voice and his masterly treatment of the guitar and the cyster, the latter a lute-like instrument that Bellman also played, estis a worthy transmitter of the Bellman tradition." Forsling notes that Sven-Bertil Taube and

Fred Åkerström Fred Åkerström (27 January 1937 – 9 August 1985) was a Swedish folk guitarist and singer particularly noted for his interpretations of Carl Michael Bellman's music, and his own work of the typically Swedish song segment named ''visa''. These ...

gave Bellman's songs a new, earthy realism ideal for the 20th century, but argues that Best is closer to how Bellman must have sounded, "though not theatrical enough if the ear-witnesses' are to be relied on. He is fresh and lively, his diction is excellent and his rhythmic acuity is striking." Other Swedish song poets performed by Best include

Birger Sjöberg Birger Sjöberg (1885–1929) was a Swedish poet, novelist and songwriter, whose best-known works include the faux-naïf song collection ''Fridas Bok'' (Frida's Book) and the novel ''Kvartetten Som Sprängdes'' (The Quartet That Split Up), a s ...

(1885–1929), with one album released in 1979.

Discography

Original recordings. Years are release years, when such have been available. * 1972 (or earlier). Martin Best & Edward Flower: ''The Art of the Minstrel – Lute Songs'', LP.Discography
medieval.org * 1974. Martin Best Consort: ''The Warwickshire Lad'', LP * 1975. Martin Best Consort: ''To Carl Michael with Love, LP. Songs by

''. * 1976.

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991), known professionally as Peggy Ashcroft, was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was deter ...

and Martin Best: ''Sense and Nonsense'', LP. Songs and rhymes for children. * 1976. Martin Best Consort: ''The Fine Old English Tory Times'', LP. English 18th century ballads. * 1976. Martin Best Consort: ''The Pirate's Serenade'', LP. * 1977. Martin Best: ''Knight On the Road'', LP. With amplified instruments. * 1978. Martin Best: ''Bellman in Britain'', LP. Songs by Carl Michael Bellman. * 1978. Martin Best: ''The Dawn of Romance'', LP. Songs and music of the early troubadours of Provence. * 1979. Martin Best: ''William Shakespeare: Ages of Song'', LP. Songs from Shakespeare plays. * 1979. Martin Best et al.: ''Desdemonalisa'', LP. Pop music. * 1979. Martin Best et al.: ''When First I Ever Saw You'', LP. Swedish ballad songs by

, English trad. songs etc. * 1982(?) Martin Best Medieval Ensemble: ''The Last of the Troubadours – The Art & Times of

Guiraut Riquier Guiraut Riquier de Narbona ( 1230 in Narbonne – 1292 in Narbonne or Rodez) is among the last of the Occitan troubadours. He is well known because of his great care in writing out his works and keeping them together—the New Grove Encyclopedia c ...

'', LP. Later reissued in the 1999 CD box ''Music from the Age of Chivalry''. French ballads. * 1983. Martin Best Medieval Ensemble: ''The Dante Troubadours'', LP. Later reissued in the 1999 CD box ''Music from the Age of Chivalry''. French ballads by

Bertran de Born Bertran de Born (; 1140s – by 1215) was a baron from the Limousin in France, and one of the major Occitan troubadours of the 12th-13th century. He composed love songs (cansos) but was better known for his political songs (sirventes). He wa ...

Guiraut de Bornelh Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...

, and others. * 1983 (?). Martin Best: ''Songs of Carl Michael Bellman'', LP. Solo recording – voice, guitar,

cittern The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...

– with Bellman songs. * 1983.

Göran Fristorp Göran or Jöran (both pronounced ) is the Swedish form of George, not to be confused with the Slavic Goran. Notable people with the name include: * Göran Andersson, Swedish sport sailor *Göran Bror Benny Andersson Swedish musician, composer ...

and Martin Best: ''Waggoner's song'', LP. Swedish ballads, some English traditional material, some Best/Fristorp compositions. * ? (recorded 1983). Martin Best Medieval Ensemble: ''Songs of Chivalry'', LP? Also in the 1999 CD box ''Music from the Age of Chivalry''. French ballads by Thibaut de Navarre etc. * ? (recorded 1984). Martin Best Medieval Ensemble: ''Cantigas of Santa Maria of Alfonso X El Sabio'', LP? Also in the 1999 CD box ''Music from the Age of Chivalry''. Songs from ''

Cantigas de Santa Maria The ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'' (, ; "Canticles of Holy Mary") are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile ''El Sabio'' (1221–1284). Traditionally, they ar ...

''. * 1987. Martin Best: ''The Testament of Tristan'', LP/CD. Songs of

Bernart de Ventadorn Bernart de Ventadorn (also Bernard de Ventadour or Bernat del Ventadorn; – ) was a French poet-composer troubadour of the classical age of troubadour poetry. Generally regarded as the most important troubadour in both poetry and music, his 1 ...

. * ? (recorded 1988). Martin Best Medieval Ensemble: ''Thys Yool – A Medieval Christmas''. * 1990/1991.

Nils Lindberg Nils Lindberg (11 June 1933 – 20 February 2022) was a Swedish composer and pianist. Biography Lindberg was born in Uppsala on 11 June 1933. He was known both as a jazz composer and musician, but was also active in other styles. Several of his wo ...

, Martin Best,

Lena Willemark Lena Willemark (born 12 May 1960) is a Swedish traditional music fiddler, singer, and composer, who combines elements of folk and jazz. Born in Älvdalen, Dalarna, Willemark grew up with the region's folk music. In Stockholm in the 1970s, she al ...

, Fresk Quartet,

Swedish Radio Choir The Swedish Radio Choir is a professional choir. It is part of Sveriges Radio, the public radio broadcasting company of Sweden. The choir consists of 32 singers and their chorus master Marc Korovitch. Peter Dijkstra is the choir's most recent chief ...

: ''O mistress mine : a garland of Elizabethan poetry'', CD. Shakespeare etc.''O mistress mine''
Svensk mediedatabas * ? (recorded 1994). Martin Best Medieval Ensemble: ''Forgotten Provence – Music-making in the South of France, 1150–1550'', CD. Also in the 1999 CD box ''Music from the Age of Chivalry''. * ? (recorded 1996?) Martin Best Consort: ''Amor de Lonh – The Distant Love of the Troubadours'', CD. Also in the 1999 CD box ''Music from the Age of Chivalry''.

Sources

External links

Martin BestMartin Best Consort
an
Martin Best Mediaeval Ensemble
on Spotify {{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Martin 1942 births British performers of early music English lutenists Swedish music Living people French male writers Interpreters of Carl Michael Bellman's works