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English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer renowned for his melancholic lute songs and instrumental works. Dowland achieved European fame despite professional setbacks in England. After converting to Catholicism, he worked for noble patrons in France, Germany, and Italy before serving King Christian IV of Denmark for nearly a decade. He finally became a lutenist to England's James I in 1612. His compositions include the seminal 'Flow, my tears' and the 'Lachrimae' pavane cycle.

• Dowland's conversion to Catholicism during a 1580s trip to Paris likely cost him a position at Queen Elizabeth I's Protestant court, forcing him to seek employment abroad for years.
• He cultivated a public persona of melancholy, signing letters 'Semper Dowland, semper dolens' (Always Dowland, always doleful) and composing pieces like 'In Darkness Let Me Dwell' that amplified this image.
• Despite his international renown, he spent 1598-1606 as lutenist to Denmark's King Christian IV—one of Europe's highest-paid musicians—yet accumulated debts and faced dismissal.
• His famous 'Lachrimae' pavane (1604) inspired over 100 arrangements and became an Elizabethan pop-culture phenomenon, referenced by Shakespeare in 'The Passionate Pilgrim'.