The 1604 print of Lachrimæ features a unique layout where voices are noted at the bottom, top (upside down), and middle (sideways) of the page to facilitate musicians gathering around a table.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dowland's motto, "Semper Dowland semper Dolens" (Always Dowland, always grief/mourning), reflects the prevalent melancholy in his music, which was a fashionable state of mind in Tudor England.
Composition History
John Dowland's Lachrimæ, published in 1604, is a complete cycle of 21 instrumental dances, dedicated to Princess Anna of Denmark.
Compositional Technique
The seven Lachrimæ pavanes are based on a single musical theme (A-G-F-E) from Dowland's famous song "Flow my tears," treated differently in each dance.
Composer Biography
John Dowland, a renowned lutenist, left England to work as a court composer for Christian IV, King of Denmark, after being denied a position at the Elizabethan court.
Interpretation
The ensemble Musicall Humors, a viol consort, operates as a collective without an artistic director, with each musician playing all instruments to create a variety of tone colors and phrasing.
