In Documento on Thursday February 19 at 21;00 CET, we pay tribute to composer and lutenist John Dowland. This year, February 20 marks the 400th anniversary of his death.
We know John Dowland primarily for his melancholic lute music, the most famous piece being “Flow my Tears” (on which he based his “Lachrimae or Seaven Tears”). This music underwent a revival in the twentieth century and became an important source for lutenists and gambists. Dowland’s music is considered to be the pinnacle of 17th-century “Sweat Melancholy.”
In Documento, we can listen to a number of lesser-known lute songs, consort songs, works for lute, and four-part arrangements that Dowland himself wrote of his lute songs.
At the beginning of the programme, we hear a song by Dowland that he dedicated to an Irish merchant: “From Silent Night.” This suggests that Dowland may indeed have been born in Dublin, as some sources claim.
We end with a Dutch twist: the song “Sorrow Come” (in a 17th-century arrangement by William Wigthorpe) is performed by the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet with boy soprano Connor Burrowes.
Broadcasts:
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 21:00 – 22:00 CET
Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 11:00 – 12:00 CET
Click here for the playlist.
Illustration: John Dowland (source: Famous Composers.net)
