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Best, Martin (13th April 1942-Present)

He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, modern-day troubadour and lecturer born in Hampshire, England. After having heard a family friend play the guitar when he was six years old he decided that he wanted to concentrate on music from that point on and went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music in London and guitar with Andres Segovia and John Williams .

His work concentrates mainly on European medieval and renaissance music and he is accomplished in the playing of the historical instruments of that time period including the psaltery, oud, cittern, lute and period guitars. He has also been very much involved with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared with them all over the world and in the movies as the composer of Pericles, The Prince of Tyre (The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: Prince of Tyre).

Forming his own ensemble, the Martin Best Consort , he has brought the world of medieval music to concert venues and the recording studio and has released many recordings that include Forgotten Provence, The Last of the Troubadours, A Warwickshire Lad, The Fine Old English Tory Times, William Shakespeare: Ages of Songs, Thys Yool – A Medieval Christmas and The First I Ever Saw You. Achieving success with his albums, Thys Yool was announced Christmas Pick of the Year by Gramophone Magazine and awarded the International Edison Award for The Last of the Troubadours.

As a lecturer he has given many university talks internationally on the subject of medieval music.

Martin Best Consort Recordings
Alle Psallite (Anonymous)
Nimbus 5445 (CD: Forgotten Provence)

Here’s the Martin Best Consort performing “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” and “The Warwickshire Lad”…

Sources:

  1. CD Liner Notes: Forgotten Provence (Nimbus NI5445)
  2. http://imdb.com/name/nm0078970/
  3. http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/performers/best.html
  4. http://www.answers.com/topic/martin-best?cat=technology