The First Book of Songs or Ayres. . . by John Dowland
This month’s featured text is The First Book of Songs or Ayres. . . by John Dowland (1563-1626). Little is known of Dowland's early life, he may have been born in Ireland around the year 1563 and is believed to have lived and worked in Paris in the 1580s. In the 1590s he was involved in some of the masques performed for Queen Elizabeth I, and in 1594, he applied for the position of the Queen's Lutenist but was rejected. As a result, he went abroad to Germany and Italy where he held a variety of musical posts and published his most famous book The First Book of Songs or Ayres in 1597 which went through four editions in his lifetime. In 1598, Dowland was appointed lutenist to Christian IV of Denmark which he held until about 1606. During his time in Denmark, Dowland became one of the most famous English composers in Europe. He wrote two more books of Ayres in 1600 and 1603 and Lachrimæ, or, Seaven Teares Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans (1607). Upon his return, he continued writing and published A Pilgrimes Solace (1612) and in the same year was finally appointed lutenist to the court of James I. Dowland also composed and performed a variety of works for particular court functions including the funeral of James I until Dowland's own death in 1626.

Dowland was one of the most important composers in early modern England. He established the table book format which became the standard for lute music in the seventeenth century and influenced later composers like Thomas Campion, Robert Jones, and later Benjamin Britten. Dowland was known for the particularly melancholy nature of music at the time and one of his songs was titled Semper dolens, semper Dowland (always doleful, always Dowland). He also helped to standardize what became known as an English phenomenon in music, the ayre, or lute piece and helped to advance what later became known as the "art song" or the blending of polyphonic music with lyrical poetry. Some have even compared Dowland's influence in music to Shakespeare's influence in literature. In all, Dowland helped to develop the practice of music and has maintained a strong following of listeners to this day.

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