Jean-Baptiste Besard

Jean-Baptiste Besard (c.1567 – c.1625) was a bisontin lutenist, composer and anthologist who lived and worked in the Holy Roman Empire.

[1] notable for publishing two anthologies which collected a diverse range of musical works of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods and included instructions on playing the lute.

[2] The Thesaurus included an addendum on the method of playing the lute, De modo in testudine libellus, which was later translated into English by Robert Dowland.

[clarification needed] Apart from repertoire for the lute, music from Besard's anthologies have been a rich source of transcriptions and adaptations in later periods.

Ottorino Respighi used some pieces in his Ancient Airs and Dances and a small number form part of the classical guitar repertoire.