Considered the greatest lute virtuoso and composer of the English school in the early 17th Century, John Dowland (1563-1626) composed over 80 pieces of solo lute music. His peerless skills as an instrumentalist were hailed by poet Richard Barnfield, who referred to Dowland as one '...whose heav'nly touch upon the lute doth ravish human sense.' As a composer, Dowland displayed a versatility of mood, with works ranging from the lighthearted to the deeply serious, exquisitely melancholic vein in which he excelled.