John Dowland's creative output on the lute made him England's greatest lute composer from the Elizabethan era.
John Dowland (1562-1626)
There is some debate over John Dowland's date of birth. In 1612, Dowland wrote that he had "now entered into the fiftieth yeare of mine age," but whether that means that he was born in 1562 or 1563 remains unclear. Nor is much known about Dowland's younger years except for Dowland's claim that his music education began at an early age. He spent some time in France engaged in the service of Sir Henry Cobham and in 1588, obtained a BMus at Christ Church, Oxford.
Though unable to obtain a position within the English court, Dowland was nevertheless one of the highest paid court servants while he remained in the service of Christian IV, King of Denmark. Under Christian IV, Dowland received the equivalent of two hundred pounds a year. Dowland also enjoyed several leaves to visit England, a rather generous allowance from a court employer at the time.
The Lute Song
As the madrigal faded out of popularity in England, the lute song was imported from Continental Europe to replace it. Whereas a madrigal required multiple voices, the lute song was often for solo voice accompanied by lute. Along with Thomas Campion (1567-1620), Dowland was one of the most influential lute composers. Dowland synthesized the broadside ballad, dance music, the consort song, and the madrigal into a distinct genre, the English lute song.
Music Scores
Usually the lute and voice parts were printed on the same page to enable the singer to accompany himself. For multiple voices, however, the parts would still be printed on a single sheet, but each part would face a different side of the sheet. Singers seated round a table could comfortably read their parts using this "table layout." Since the melody and lute parts faced the same direction, the same music served both solo performance and ensemble. An age in which printing was still rather expensive made such conservation of paper valuable.
Significant Works
Dowland's compositional strength was in accompanied song, although several of his works circulated as instrumental dance numbers. He compiled three Bookes of Ayres, growing more experimental and complex with each successive book. His works often emote restrained melancholy mingled with wry wit. During the composer's lifetime, "Flow My Tears" was his most popular air.
In additional to his secular songs, Dowland also set several psalms and devotional texts, including A Pilgrim's Solace and Lachrimae.
Recent Appearances
The rock musician Sting has recently released the album Songs from the Labyrinth, a recording of John Dowland songs.
Sources
A History of Western Music by Grout and Palisca (2001)
"John Dowland," Grove Music Online by Peter Holman with Paul O'Dette (2007)
