John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known for his sad songs, including "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 become popular again, and since the early 20th century, it has remained an important part of the music played by lutenists and classical guitarists.

Career and compositions

Very little is known about Dowland's early life, but most people believe he was born in London. Some sources say he was born in 1563. An Irish historian named W. H. Grattan Flood claimed Dowland was born in Dalkey, near Dublin, but no evidence supports this. Another person, Thomas Fuller, said Dowland was born in Westminster, but this also has no proof. One piece of evidence suggests Dublin was his birthplace: he dedicated a song called "From Silent Night" to a man named Mr. John Forster, a merchant from Dublin. The Forsters were a well-known family in Dublin at that time.

In 1580, Dowland went to Paris, where he worked for Sir Henry Cobham, the British ambassador to France, and later for Sir Edward Stafford, Cobham's successor. During this time, Dowland became a Roman Catholic. Around 1584, he returned to England and married. In 1588, he earned a degree called Mus. Bac. from Christ Church, Oxford. In 1594, a job as a lutenist at the English court became available, but Dowland was not chosen. He said his religion prevented him from being hired at Elizabeth I's Protestant court, but his conversion to Catholicism was not widely known. Other Catholic musicians, like William Byrd, did work at the court. Between 1594 and 1595, Dowland traveled to Europe again, visiting Germany, where he received support from the Duke of Brunswick and the Landgrave of Hesse, and then Italy, including Padua, Venice, and Florence. He described these travels in a note at the beginning of his book First Book of Songs, published in 1597.

From 1598, Dowland worked at the court of King Christian IV of Denmark, but he continued to publish music in London. King Christian loved music and paid Dowland a large salary: 500 daler per year, making him one of the highest-paid servants in Denmark. Although King Christian admired Dowland, he was not a perfect servant, often staying in England longer than allowed for work or other reasons. Dowland was fired in 1606 and returned to England. In early 1612, he was hired as one of King James I's lutenists. Few compositions from the time of his royal appointment until his death in London in 1626 are known. His last payment from the court was on January 20, 1626, and he was buried at St. Ann's, Blackfriars, London, on February 20, 1626.

Two major influences on Dowland's music were popular songs played by small groups of musicians and the dance music of his time. Most of his music was written for the lute, his main instrument. His works include solo lute pieces, lute songs (one voice with lute accompaniment), part-songs with lute accompaniment, and pieces for viol consorts with lute. A poet named Richard Barnfield wrote that Dowland's "heavenly touch upon the lute doth ravish human sense."

One of his most famous works is the lute song "Flow my tears," with the first verse:

He later wrote a well-known instrumental piece called Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares, Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans, a set of seven pavanes for five viols and lute, each based on the theme from "Flow my tears." This collection became one of the most famous of its time. His pavane "Lachrymae antiquae" was also popular in the 17th century and was used as a theme for variations by many composers. He also wrote a lute version of the popular ballad "My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home."

Dowland's music often shows a deep sadness, which was rare in music during his time. He helped make this style famous along with Johann Froberger. He wrote a piece with the title "Semper Dowland, semper dolens" (always Dowland, always doleful), which reflects the mood of much of his work.

Richard Barnfield, a contemporary of Dowland, mentioned him in poem VIII of The Passionate Pilgrim (1598), a poem by William Shakespeare:

— Richard Barnfield, The Passionate Pilgrim

Published works

Until 2024, only one detailed book about John Dowland's life and music, written by Diana Poulton, was available in print. A newer and more updated biography by K. Dawn Grapes was published in July 2024. The most complete list of Dowland's works was created by K. Dawn Grapes in John Dowland: A Research and Information Guide (Routledge, 2019). The numbering system for Dowland's lute pieces follows the same method Diana Poulton used in her book The Collected Lute Music of John Dowland. This system is sometimes called the "P" numbering system.

Many of Dowland's works exist only in handwritten manuscripts.

In 1592, The Whole Booke of Psalmes was published by Thomas Est. This book included music by 10 composers, including six pieces by Dowland.

• 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

In 1596, The New Booke of Tabliture was published by William Barley. This book included seven solo lute pieces by Dowland. It may have been written for the professional choir at Westminster Abbey.

• 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)

The following works are uncertain in authorship:

• Ye righteous in the Lord
• An heart that's broken
• I shame at my unworthiness

In 1597, Dowland published his First Booke of Songes or Ayres, a collection of 21 lute songs. This book is considered one of the most important in the history of lute music. 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." The songs can be performed by a soloist with lute accompaniment or by groups of singers and musicians. The songs are listed below. At the end of the book is "My Lord Chamberlaine, His Galliard," a piece for two people to play on one lute.

• 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

In 1600, Dowland published his Second Booke of Songs or Ayres, which includes 22 lute songs. It also contains an instrumental piece called Dowland’s adew for Master Oliver Cromwell. The songs are listed below:

• 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 thinks or hopes of loue for loue
• Faction that euer thinks or hopes of loue for loue
• Faction that euer thinks or hopes of loue for loue
• Faction that euer thinks or hopes of loue for loue
• Faction that euer thinks or hopes of loue for loue

In 1603, Dowland published his Third Booke of Songs or Ayres, which includes 22 lute songs. It also contains an instrumental piece called Dowland’s adew for Master Oliver Cromwell. The songs are listed below:

• 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

Suspicions of treason

Dowland carried out several secret missions for Sir Robert Cecil in France and Denmark. Even though he was paid well, Dowland was mainly known as a court musician. However, in his own words, he was briefly involved in secret Catholic plots in Italy. He had traveled there to meet and study with Luca Marenzio, a famous madrigal composer. Regardless of his religious beliefs, he remained very loyal to the Queen. However, he seemed upset about her comment that he, Dowland, "was a man to serve any prince in the world, but [he] was an obstinate Papist." Despite this, when plotters offered him a large amount of money from the Pope and promised safe passage for his wife and children to join him in Italy, he refused to help their plans. In the end, he asked for forgiveness from Sir Robert Cecil and the Queen.

Private life

John Dowland was married and had children, as mentioned in a letter he wrote to Sir Robert Cecil. However, he spent long periods away from his family because his wife remained in England while he worked in Europe.

His son, Robert Dowland (born around 1591 and died in 1641), was also a musician. He worked for a time in the service of the first Earl of Devonshire and later took over his father’s role as a lutenist at the royal court after John Dowland passed away.

Dowland’s sad and thoughtful lyrics and music (saved on the Wayback Machine on September 16, 2021) have often been described as his way of creating an "artistic image" even though he was known to be a happy person. However, many of his personal writings and the bitter tone in his comments suggest that his music and feelings of sadness were closely connected to his own personality and struggles.

Modern interpretations

One of the first 20th-century musicians who helped bring John Dowland’s music back into focus was the singer-songwriter Frederick Keel. Keel included fifteen of Dowland’s songs in two sets of Elizabethan love songs he published in 1909 and 1913. These arrangements for piano and voice were designed to match the musical styles of art songs popular at the time.

In 1935, Australian-born composer Percy Grainger, who also loved music from before the time of Bach, arranged Dowland’s song "Now, O now I needs must part" for piano. Later, in 1953, Grainger created a version of the same song titled Bell Piece (Ramble on John Dowland's 'Now, O now I needs must part'), which was scored for voice and wind band, based on his earlier piano arrangement.

In 1951, the counter-tenor Alfred Deller recorded songs by Dowland, Thomas Campion, and Philip Rosseter with the label HMV (His Master’s Voice), using catalog numbers C.4178 and C.4236 for Dowland’s "Flow my Tears." In 1977, Harmonia Mundi released two records of Deller singing Dowland’s lute songs (HM 244&245-H244/246).

Dowland’s song "Come Heavy Sleepe, the Image of True Death" inspired Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland, written in 1963 for guitarist Julian Bream. The piece includes eight variations based on themes from the song or its lute accompaniment, ending with a guitar performance of the song itself. Britten also wrote a set of variations for viola titled Lachrymae, based on Dowland’s song "If my complaints." In both works, the original Dowland tune appears only at the end.

Dowland’s music became part of the early music revival through performers like Julian Bream, tenor Peter Pears, and later Christopher Hogwood, David Munrow, and the Early Music Consort in the late 1960s. The Academy of Ancient Music included Dowland’s works in their repertoire starting in the early 1970s.

In 1973, guitarist Jan Akkerman of the Dutch progressive rock band Focus recorded an album titled Tabernakel, which included John Dowland songs and original material performed on lute. The album was released in 1974.

The complete works of John Dowland were recorded by the Consort of Musicke and released on the L'Oiseau Lyre label. Some songs were performed as vocal consort music, and the Third Book of Songs and A Pilgrim's Solace have not yet been recorded as complete collections of solo songs.

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

Nigel North recorded Dowland’s complete solo lute works on four Naxos CDs between 2004 and 2007. Paul O'Dette recorded the complete lute works on five Harmonia Mundi CDs from 1995 to 1997. Jakob Lindberg recorded the complete lute works on four BIS CDs, released in 1995.

Jordi Savall and his group Hespèrion XX released recordings of Dowland’s Lachrimae or Seven Teares in 2000 and 2013.

Elvis Costello included a recording of Dowland’s "Can she excuse my wrongs" as a bonus track on the 2006 re-release of his album The Juliet Letters, performed with Fretwork and the Composers Ensemble.

Patrick Doyle adapted Dowland’s "Weep You No More Sand Fountains" for the film Sense and Sensibility (1995), directed by Ang Lee. In the film, the character Marianne Dashwood, played by Kate Winslet, sings the song.

In October 2006, Sting released an album titled Songs from the Labyrinth, featuring Dowland’s songs, on Deutsche Grammophon. The album was created with lutenist Edin Karamazov. Sting also recited parts of a 1593 letter written by Dowland to Sir Robert Cecil, describing his travels and denying accusations of treason.

Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick mentioned Dowland in many of his works, including the novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974), and once used the pseudonym "Jack Dowland."

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