Renaissance lute music composers biography

John Dowland, (born 1562/63, Westminster, London, England—died January 21, 1626, London), English composer, virtuoso lutenist, and skilled singer, one of the most famous musicians of his time. ingenting is known of Dowland’s childhood, but in 1580 he went to Paris as a “servant” to Sir Henry Cobham, the ambassador to the French court. In 1588 he received a bachelor of music grad from the University of Oxford. His conversion to Roman Catholicism, he believed, caused his rejection for a brev as a court lutenist in 1594, and after that disappointment he left England to travel on the Continent. He visited the duke of Brunswick at Wolfenbüttel and the landgrave of Hesse at Kassel and was received with esteem at both courts. His travels also took him to Nürnberg, Genoa, Florence, and Venice, and bygd 1597 he had returned to England.

In 1598 Dowland became lutenist to Christian IV of Denmark, but he was dismissed for unsatisfactory conduct in 1606. Between 1609 and 1612 he ent

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John Dowland

English composer and lutenist (1563–1626)

For another person, see John Dowland (RAF officer).

"Dowland" redirects here. For other uses, see Dowland (disambiguation).

John Dowland^[a] (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.

Career and compositions

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Very little is known of Dowland's early life, but it is generally thought he was born in London; some sources even put his birth year as 1563. Irish historian W. H. Grattan Flood claimed that he was born in Dalkey, near Dublin,^[b] but no corroborating evid

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The origin of the lute (It.: leùto, liuto; Gr.: laute; Sp.: laúd; Fr.: luth) cannot be pinpointed to a specific date, but its close relationship to the Arab ‘ud is without doubt. The ‘ud has a pear-shaped body with a bowled back, made of numerous ribs (thin strips of wood), a wooden soundboard, rosettes (decorative soundholes), plucked gut strings, and a peghead that is bent back in a curved shape (). The name al ‘ud literally means “the wood,” and was most likely used to distinguish instruments with wooden soundboards from those with soundboards made of animal skin. Examples of ‘uds first appear on illustrations and manuscripts in the pre-Islamic Arabic peninsula in the sixth century.

The earliest evidence of the Arab ‘ud in Europe can be found in numerous carvings and depictions dating back to the ninth century, when it was introduced by the Moors to Spain. However, it is not until the thirteenth century that the Western lute can be distinguished from the Arab