ALC_0171_The Sound Of Tears-Works For Lute

John Dowland occupies a unique place in the history of music: a rare figure, capable of defining an era both as a composer and as a virtuoso. Despite his Catholic faith — no small obstacle in England at the time — and a temperament notoriously prone to melancholy, he achieved international fame. In 1598, the poet Richard Barnfield immortalised his talent in the famous sonnet: “"Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch/Upon the lute doth ravish human sense". These words encapsulate the essence of his art: a heavenly timbral beauty combined with profound emotional intensity.
Although today he is associated almost exclusively with the melancholic aesthetic of the pavane ‘Lachrimae’, Dowland’s output is surprisingly multifaceted. His writing balances a natural melodic talent with refined contrapuntal rigour; even in the most virtuosic passages, the music remains perfectly idiomatic for the lute. His catalogue boasts around a hundred solo pieces, as many songs, and seminal works for viol consort.