John Dowland (1563-1626) is widely considered the greatest lute song composer of the Renaissance. Having composed 3 books of original songs and a compilation of music from around Europe to be accompanied by the lute. His music is characterized by a melancholy that earned him the saying Semper Dowland Semper Dolens (always Dowland always doleful). His most famous surviving piece of music is called Lachrimae or Flow My Tears. It was set by multiple contemporaries of Dowland for instruments such as lute solo, keyboard, viol consort, and the English broken consort. His lute music expanded the sonic possibilities and potential of the lute, and his songs make a beautiful pairing with his greatest fantasias and dance music settings. He also set various popular ballads, or folk tunes, to the lute, and I've included some of these in the program, pairing the original song with Dowland's variations. This program is designed to serve as a window into John Dowland's mysterious life, and show how his songs may have been performed by him. One man, self-accompanied on the lute.