John Dowland was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as \"Come, heavy sleep\", \"Come again\", \"Flow my tears\", \"I saw my Lady weepe\", \"Now o now I needs must part\", and \"In darkness let me dwell\". His instrumental music has undergone a major revival, and with the 20th century's early music revival, has been a continuing source of repertoire for lutenists and classical guitarists.

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John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as \"Come, heavy sleep\", \"Come again\", \"Flow my tears\", \"I saw my Lady weepe\", \"Now o now I needs must part\", and \"In darkness let me dwell\". His instrumental music has undergone a major revival, and with the 20th century's early music revival, has been a continuing source of repertoire for lutenists and classical guitarists.\n

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Life and career

Very little is known of Dowland's early life, but it is generally thought he was born in London. Sources put his birth year as 1563, based on his own written statements about his age. Irish historian W. H. Grattan Flood claimed that he was born in Dalkey, near Dublin, but no corroborating evidence has been found either for that or for Thomas Fuller's claim that he was born in Westminster. One piece of evidence points to Dublin as his place of origin: he dedicated the song \"From Silent Night\" to 'my loving countryman Mr. John Forster the younger, merchant of Dublin in Ireland'. The Forsters were a prominent Dublin family at the time, providing several Lord Mayors to the city.\n

In 1580 Dowland went to Paris, where he was in service to Sir Henry Cobham, the ambassador to the French court, and his successor Sir Edward Stafford. He met several Roman Catholics at this time, and may have privately converted to their faith. Around 1584, Dowland moved back to England and married. In 1588 he was admitted Mus. Bac. from Christ Church, Oxford. In 1594 a vacancy for a lutenist came up at the English court, but Dowland's application was unsuccessful. He claimed his religion led to his not being offered a post at Elizabeth I's Protestant court, but his conversion was not publicised, and being Catholic did not prevent some other important musicians (such as William Byrd) from a court career.\n

In 1594-5, Dowland travelled to Europe again, first visiting Germany, where he enjoyed the patronage of the Duke of Brunswick and the Landgrave of Hesse, and then touring Italy, including Padua, Venice and Florence. He briefly described these journeys in an introductory note to the reader at the start of his First Book of Songs. \n

Dowland had planned to continue his Italian travels by going to Rome to visit the famous madrigal composer Luca Marenzio, from whom he had received a letter of invitation, but in late 1595 he changed his mind and returned to England.\nHe set out the reasons for this change of plan in a remarkable letter he wrote to Robert Cecil, dated November 1595. In the letter, he confesses to having Catholic sympathies, but expresses his loyalty to the Queen and his horror at some of the plots against her that he has become aware of. He also names some of these conspirators.\n

From 1598 Dowland worked at the court of Christian IV of Denmark, though he made occasional visits to London and continued to publish there. King Christian paid Dowland astronomical sums; his salary was 500 daler a year, making him one of the highest-paid servants of the Danish court. Though Dowland was highly regarded by King Christian, he was not the ideal servant, often overstaying his leave when he went to England on publishing business or for other reasons. The title page of his 1604 Lachrimae book states that he had a house in Fetter Lane in London. Twentieth century writers stated that Dowland was dismissed in 1606, but modern scholars suggest that he may have left Denmark and returned to England voluntarily. \n

In early 1612 Dowland secured a post as one of James I's lutenists. There are few compositions dating from the moment of his royal appointment until his death in London in 1626. While the date of his death is not known, \"Dowland's last payment from the court was on 20 January 1626, and he was buried at St Ann's, Blackfriars, London, on 20 February 1626.\"\n

John Dowland was married and had children, as referenced in his letter to Sir Robert Cecil. However, he had long periods of separation from his family, as his wife stayed in England while he worked on the Continent.\n

His son Robert Dowland (c. 1591 – 1641) was also a musician, working for some time in the service of the first Earl of Devonshire, and taking over his father's position of lutenist at court when John died.\n

Musical style

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Two major influences on Dowland's music were popular consort songs and the dance music of the day. He also acknowledged, in the introductory note in his First Book of Songs, the influence of the many musicians he met on his European travels. Much of Dowland's music is for his own instrument, the lute. It includes several books of solo lute works, lute songs (for one voice and lute), part-songs with lute accompaniment, and several pieces for viol consort with lute.\n

\nOne of his better known works is the lute song \"Flow my tears\", the first verse of which runs:

He later wrote what is probably his best known instrumental work, Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares, Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans, a set of seven pavanes for five viols and lute, each based on the theme derived from the lute song \"Flow my tears\". It became one of the best known collections of consort music in his time. His pavane \"Lachrymae antiquae\" was also popular in the 17th century, and was arranged and used as a theme for variations by many composers. He wrote a lute version of the popular ballad \"My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home\".\n

Dowland's music often displays a melancholia rare in music at that time, and he pioneered it together with Anthony Holborne. He wrote a consort piece with the punning title \"Semper Dowland, semper dolens\" (always Dowland, always doleful), which may be said to sum up much of his work.\n

Dowland's melancholic lyrics (Archived 16 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine) and music have often been described as his attempts to develop an \"artistic persona\" in spite of actually being a cheerful person, but many of his own personal complaints, and the tone of bitterness in many of his comments, suggest that much of his music and his melancholy truly did come from his own personality and frustration.\n

Richard Barnfield, Dowland's contemporary, refers to him in poem VIII of The Passionate Pilgrim (1598), a Shakespearean sonnet:\n

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Published works

Biographies of Dowland

Until 2024, only one comprehensive monograph of Dowland's life and work was available in print. This was written by lutenist Diana Poulton in 1972, with a revised edition published in 1982. An updated biography by K. Dawn Grapes was published in July 2024. The fullest catalog list of Dowland's works is that compiled by K. Dawn Grapes in John Dowland: A Research and Information Guide (Routledge, 2019). Diana Poulton created a numbering system for the lute music in her The Collected Lute Music of John Dowland, published in 1974. P numbers are therefore sometimes used to designate individual pieces. \n

Many of Dowland's works survive only in manuscript form.\n

Whole Book of Psalms (1592)

Published by Thomas Est in 1592, The Whole Booke of Psalmes contained works by 10 composers, including 6 pieces by Dowland.\n

Put me not to rebuke, O Lord (Psalm 38)

All people that on earth do dwell (Psalm 100)

My soul praise the Lord (Psalm 104)

Lord to thee I make my moan (Psalm 130)

Behold and have regard (Psalm 134)

A Prayer for the Queens most excellent Maiestie

New Book of Tablature (1596)

The New Booke of Tabliture was published by William Barley in 1596. It contains seven solo lute pieces by Dowland, printed without the permission of the composer, who later described them as \"false and unperfect\".\n

Lamentatio Henrici Noel (1596)

Perhaps written for the professional choir of Westminster Abbey.\n

The Lamentation of a sinner

Domine ne in furore (Psalm 6)

Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51)

The humble sute of a sinner

The humble complaint of a sinner

De profundis (Psalm 130)

Domine exaudi (Psalm 143)

Of uncertain attribution are:\n

Ye righteous in the Lord

An heart that's broken

I shame at my unworthiness

First Book of Songs (1597)

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In 1597, Dowland published his First Booke of Songes or Ayres, a set of 21 lute-songs and one of the most influential collections in the history of the lute. Brian Robins wrote that \"many of the songs were composed long before the publication date, [...] However, far from being immature, the songs of Book I reveal Dowland as a fully fledged master.\" It is set out in a way that allows performance by a soloist with lute accompaniment or by various other combinations of singers and instrumentalists. The songs are listed below. After them, at the end of the collection, comes \"My Lord Chamberlaine, His Galliard\", a piece for two people to play on one lute.\n

Vnquiet thoughts

Who euer thinks or hopes of loue for loue

My thoughts are wingd with hopes

If my complaints could passions moue

Can she excuse my wrongs with vertues cloake

Now, O now I needs must part (\"The Frog Galliard\")

Deare if you change ile neuer chuse againe

Burst forth my teares

Go Cristall teares

Thinkst thou then by thy faining

Come away, come sweet loue

Rest awhile you cruell cares

Sleepe wayward thoughts

All ye whom loue of fortune hath betraide

Wilt though vnkind thus reaue me of my hart

Would my conceit that first enforst my woe

Come again: sweet loue doth now enuite

His goulden locks time hath to siluer turnd

Awake sweet loue thou art returned

Come heauy sleepe

Awaie with these selfe louing lads

Second Book of Songs (1600)

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Dowland published his Second Booke of Songs or Ayres in 1600. The book was published in London, although Dowland was in Denmark at the time. The manuscript was sent to Dowland's wife, who liaised with the publisher George Eastland. It has 22 lute songs, plus an instrumental work, Dowland’s adew for Master Oliver Cromwell. The songs are as follows:\n

I saw my Lady weepe

Flow my teares fall from your springs

Sorow sorow stay, lend true repentant teares

Dye not before thy day

Mourne, mourne, day is with darknesse fled

Tymes eldest sonne, old age the heire of ease, First part

Then sit thee downe, and say thy Nunc demittis, Second Part

When others sings Venite exultemus, Third part

Praise blindnesse eies, for seeing is deceipt

O sweet woods, the delight of solitarienesse

If fluds of teares could clense my follies past

Fine knacks for Ladies, cheap, choise, braue and new

Now cease my wandring eyes

Come ye heavie states of night

White as Lillies was hir face

Wofull heart with griefe oppressed

A Sheperd in a shade his plaining made

Faction that euer dwells in court

Shall I sue, shall I seeke for grace

Finding in fields my Siluia all alone (Toss not my soul)

Cleare or Cloudie sweet as Aprill showring

Humor say what makst thou heere

Third Book of Songs (1603)

The Third and Last Booke of Songs or Aires was published in 1603.\n

The 21 songs are:\n

Farewell too faire

Time stands still

Behold the wonder heere

Daphne wast not so chaste as she was changing

Me me and none but me

When Phoebus first did Daphne loue

Say loue if euer thou didst finde

Flow not so fast ye fountaines

What if I neuer speede

Loue stood amaz'd at sweet beauties paine

Lend your eares to my sorrow good people

By a fountaine where I lay

Oh what hath ouerwrought my all amazed thought

Farewell vnkind farewell

Weepe you no more sad fountaines

Fie on this faining, is loue without desire

I must complaine, yet doe enioy

It was a time when silly Bees could speake

The lowest trees haue tops

What poore Astronomers are they

Come when I call, or tarrie till I come

Lachrimae (1604)

Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares was published in 1604. It contains seven pavans, all based on the same four-note descending phrase used in the song Flow my tears. The remaining 14 pieces, mainly galliards, include Semper Dowland semper Dolens (Always Dowland, always Doleful). Three of these galliards are based on songs from Dowland's First Book.\n

Lachrimae Antiquae

Lachrimae Antiquae Nouae

Lachrimae Gementes

Lachrimae Tristes

Lachrimae Coactae

Lachrimae Amantis

Lachrimae Verae

Semper Dowland semper Dolens

Sir Henry Vmptons Funeral

M. Iohn Langtons Pauan

The King of Denmarks Galiard

The Earle of Essex Galiard

Sir Iohn Souch his Galiard

M. Henry Noell his Galiard

M. Giles Hoby his Galiard

M. Nicho. Gryffith his Galiard

M. Thomas Collier his Galiard with two trebles

Captaine Piper his Galiard

M. Bucton his Galiard

Mrs Nichols Almand

M. George Whitehead his Almand

Micrologus (1609)

Dowland published a translation of the Micrologus of Andreas Ornithoparcus in 1609, originally printed in Latin in Leipzig in 1517.\n

Varietie of Lute-Lessons (1610)

This was published by Dowland's son Robert in 1610 and contains solo lute works by his father and others. The volume also includes a short treatise by Dowland on lute playing.\n

A Musicall Banquet (1610)

This was likewise published by Dowland's son that year. It contains three songs by his father: \n

Farre from Triumphing Court

Lady If You So Spight Me

In Darknesse Let Me Dwell

A Pilgrimes Solace (1612)

Dowland's last work, A Pilgrimes Solace, was published in 1612 and was described by the composer Peter Warlock as \"the crown of his life's achievement\". Edmund Fellowes wrote that it \"practically ended\" the short era of the English lute song that had begun with Dowland's First Book. John Palmer also wrote, \"Although this book produced no hits, it is arguably Dowland's best set, evincing his absorption of the style of the Italian monodists.\"\n

Disdaine me still, that I may euer loue

Sweete stay a while, why will you?

To aske for all thy loue

Loue those beames that breede

Shall I striue with wordes to moue

Were euery thought an eye

Stay time a while thy flying

Tell me true Loue

Goe nightly cares, the enemy to rest

From silent night, true register of moanes

Lasso vita mia, mi fa morire

In this trembling shadow

If that a Sinners sighes be Angels food

Thou mighty God

When Dauids life by Saul

When the poore Criple

Where Sinne sore wounding

My heart and tongue were twinnes

Vp merry Mates, to Neptunes praise

Welcome black night

Cease these false sports

A Galliard to Lachrimae

Modern interpretations

One of the first 20th-century musicians who successfully helped reclaim Dowland from the history books was the singer-songwriter Frederick Keel. Keel included fifteen Dowland pieces in his two sets of Elizabethan love songs published in 1909 and 1913, which achieved popularity in their day. These free arrangements for piano and low or high voice were intended to fit the tastes and musical practices associated with art songs of the time. Another early promoter of Dowland's music was the composer Peter Warlock, who devoted a chapter of his 1926 book The English Ayre to him.\n

In 1935, Australian-born composer Percy Grainger, who also had a deep interest in music made before Bach, arranged Dowland's Now, O now I needs must part for piano. Some years later, in 1953, Grainger wrote a work titled Bell Piece (Ramble on John Dowland's 'Now, O now I needs must part'), which was a version scored for voice and wind band, based on his previously mentioned transcription.\n

In 1951 the counter-tenor Alfred Deller recorded songs by Dowland, Thomas Campion, and Philip Rosseter with the label HMV (His Master's Voice) HMV C.4178 and another HMV C.4236 of Dowland's \"Flow my Tears\". In 1977, Harmonia Mundi also published two records of Deller singing Dowland's Lute songs (HM 244&245-H244/246).\n

For the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Vaughan Williams produced an arrangement of All People that on Earth do Dwell for congregation, choir and orchestra. The fourth verse uses a setting of the famous tune by Dowland, which was originally published in 1621 in a book of psalms by Thomas Ravenscroft.\n

Dowland's song \"Come Heavy Sleepe, the Image of True Death\" was the inspiration for Benjamin Britten's Nocturnal after John Dowland, written in 1963 for the guitarist Julian Bream. It consists of eight variations, all based on musical themes drawn from the song or its lute accompaniment, finally resolving into a guitar setting of the song itself. Britten also wrote a set of variations for viola, which is titled Lachrymae, although it is based on Dowland's song If my complaints. As with the Nocturnal, the original Dowland tune only emerges at the end of the piece.\n

Dowland's music became part of the repertoire of the early music revival with Bream and tenor Peter Pears, and later with Christopher Hogwood and David Munrow and the Early Music Consort in the late 1960s and later with the Academy of Ancient Music from the early 1970s.\n

Jan Akkerman, guitarist of the Dutch progressive rock band Focus, recorded \"Tabernakel\" in 1973 (though released in 1974), an album of John Dowland songs and some original material, performed on lute.\n

The complete works of John Dowland were recorded by the Consort of Musicke, and released on the L'Oiseau Lyre label, though they recorded some of the songs as vocal consort music; the Third Book of Songs and A Pilgrim's Solace have yet to be recorded in their entirety as collections of solo songs.\n

The 1999 ECM New Series recording In Darkness Let Me Dwell features new interpretations of Dowland songs performed by tenor John Potter, lutenist Stephen Stubbs, and baroque violinist Maya Homburger in collaboration with English jazz musicians John Surman and Barry Guy.\n

Nigel North recorded Dowland's complete works for solo lute on four CDs between 2004 and 2007, on Naxos records.\n

Paul O'Dette recorded the complete lute works for Harmonia Mundi on five CDs issued from 1995 to 1997.\n

Jakob Lindberg recorded the complete lute works for BIS on four CDs, issued in 1995.\n

Jordi Savall and his Hespèrion XX issued recordings of the \"Lachrimae or Seven Teares\" in 2000 and 2013.\n

Elvis Costello included a recording (with Fretwork and the Composers Ensemble) of Dowland's \"Can she excuse my wrongs\" as a bonus track on the 2006 re-release of his The Juliet Letters.\n

Patrick Doyle adapted Dowland's \"Weep You No More Sad Fountains\" featuring soprano Jane Eaglen for the end credits of the film Sense and Sensibility (1995), directed by Ang Lee. In the film, Marianne Dashwood, played by Kate Winslet, sings the song.\n

In October 2006, Sting, who says he has been fascinated by the music of John Dowland for 25 years, released an album featuring Dowland's songs titled Songs from the Labyrinth, on Deutsche Grammophon, in collaboration with Edin Karamazov on lute and archlute. They described their treatment of Dowland's work in a Great Performances appearance. To give some idea of the tone and intrigues of life in late Elizabethan England, Sting also recites throughout the album portions of a 1595 letter written by Dowland to Sir Robert Cecil. The letter describes Dowland's travels to various points of Western Europe, then breaks into a detailed account of his activities in Italy, along with a heartfelt denial of the charges of treason whispered against him by unknown persons. Dowland most likely was suspected of this for travelling to the courts of various Catholic monarchs and accepting payment from them greater than what a musician of the time would normally have received for performing.\n

Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick referred to Dowland in many of his works, including the novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974), even using the pseudonym \"Jack Dowland\" once.\n

The Collected Lute Music of John Dowland, with lute tablature and keyboard notation, was transcribed and edited by Diana Poulton and Basil Lam, Faber Music Limited, London 1974.\n

Dowland's Foundry, a group of four singers and a lutenist, have performed Dowland's songs at music festivals in Oxford, Norwich and Ryedale in 2026. Their name refers to the metaphor used in Dowland's song Unquiet thoughts.\n

References

Notes

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Citations

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Bibliography

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External links

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Generic information

\"John Dowland Archived 8 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine\" – Oxford Bibliographies (biography and annotated source suggestions)
The work of John Dowland – list of publications and works. (Partially in German)
Free scores by John Dowland in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
Works by John Dowland at Project Gutenberg
Works by or about John Dowland at the Internet Archive
Works by John Dowland at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
Free scores by John Dowland at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
The Mutopia Project has compositions by John Dowland
Music Collection Archived 11 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine in Cambridge Digital Library, which contains many early copies/examples of Dowland's compositions

Video and audio resources

Some video performances of John Dowland's songs by Valeria Mignaco, soprano & Alfonso Marin, lute Archived 5 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
\"Four Pieces by John Dowland played by Brian Wright, lute\" Archived 6 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. 4 December 2008.
Another Lute Website Archived 19 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Overview of video's of solo work and songs of John Dowland.
\"Lachrimae or Seaven Teares, 1604\" Archived 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine by Hespèrion XX dir. Jordi Savall.
Recordings of Dowland's songs performed by Dowland's Foundry

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Life and career

Musical style

Published works

Biographies of Dowland

Whole Book of Psalms (1592)

New Book of Tablature (1596)

Lamentatio Henrici Noel (1596)

First Book of Songs (1597)

Second Book of Songs (1600)

Third Book of Songs (1603)

Lachrimae (1604)

Micrologus (1609)

Varietie of Lute-Lessons (1610)

A Musicall Banquet (1610)

A Pilgrimes Solace (1612)

Modern interpretations

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Generic information

Video and audio resources

John Dowland

Broadcast History