What if a Day

Featuring

Paul Beier
John Dowland

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Composer Biography

John Dowland, the composer, was born around 1563 and was already recognized as an honorable English musician by 1588.

Composition History

Over seventy of Dowland's lute solos are known through manuscripts, with a major source being the collection copied by Mathew Holmes, a precentor at Christ Church and Westminster Abbey.

Instruments

The recording features Paul Beier playing a 10-course lute made by Michael Lowe in 1979, modeled after a Hans Frei instrument.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Dowland's music is noted for its ability to evoke a wide range of emotions, from the cheerful character of his first fantasia to the profound melancholy of pieces like 'Forlorne Hope fancy' and 'Farewell fancy'.

Composer Biography

Dowland spent significant time abroad, serving Heinrich Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Christian IV, King of Denmark, before finally securing a position at the English court of James I in 1612.

Compositional Technique

Dowland's skill in variations is evident in his settings of popular ballad tunes, where he sometimes fragments the original melody until it almost disappears, as seen in his 'Loth to Depart' variations.

Composition History

Although Dowland published four books of lute songs and a book of consort lessons, he did not publish much of his solo lute music, which largely survives in manuscript form.