John Johnson - Lute Music - Christopher Wilson, Shirley Rumsey

John Johnson (c 1550-1594) can be regarded as the founder of of the school of English Golden Age lute. His works can be found in manuscripts all over Europe, though for the most part anonymously, and the only other English lute composer to surpass him was Dowland.
Johnson's style is a natural amalgam of the Italian style prevailing in his day and native preferences and pecularities, as such it's more idiomatic than original. Indeed, his compostions were so often used for variations, improvisations and imitations that the first composer's name got often lost in the process.

"His works show the English taste for cross-relations, surprising harmonic and tonal relationships and, above all, variation. Indeed, without exception, all his compositions include some form of variation procedure and often more than one kind at a time; variation techniques range from an entire piece being based on a single motif, to the varied reprise, to discanting on English and Italian grounds, to variations of popular tunes such as Walsingham and Carman’s Whistle. He is now best known, especially among lutenists, for his treble variations of grounds and duets for equal lutes." (Grove)

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