Robert Johnson (English composer) facts for kids
Robert Johnson (born around 1583 – died 1633) was an English musician and composer. He lived during the late Tudor period and early Jacobean era, which means he was active when Queen Elizabeth I and King James I ruled England. Robert Johnson played the lute, a string instrument that looks a bit like a guitar. People sometimes call him "Robert Johnson II" to tell him apart from another composer with the same name from Scotland. A really cool fact about Robert Johnson is that he wrote music for some of William Shakespeare's plays!
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Early Life of Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson's father was named John Johnson, and he was also a famous lutenist. He played music for Queen Elizabeth I. When Robert's father passed away in 1594, Robert was still young.
In 1596, Robert became an apprentice in the home of George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon. An apprentice learns a skill by working with an expert. Robert was probably about 13 years old, which was a common age to start learning a trade. George Carey and his wife, Elizabeth Spencer, were big supporters of musicians. They even supported another famous lutenist and composer named John Dowland.
The Carey family had a house in London and a country home. Robert joined their household at an exciting time for music and theater. George Carey also supported a theater group that William Shakespeare was part of! This group was known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men and later became the King's Men. We don't know if Robert worked with them right away, but he definitely wrote music for the King's Men later in his career.
Working for the Royal Court
George Carey, Robert Johnson's supporter, died in 1603. The next year, Robert found a job at the court of King James I. Many lutenists worked for the King. Lutes came in different sizes, and Robert might have played the bass lute, which is a larger version.
Robert also played for Prince Henry, who was King James I's son. He wrote music for special court shows called masques. These shows were very popular during that time. For example, he wrote music for a masque called Oberon, the Faery Prince. Prince Henry himself played the main character in this show! Robert continued to work for the royal family when Charles I became king. He stayed on the royal payroll until 1633, the year he died.
Music for the King's Men
Robert Johnson's music for the King's Men theater company was written between 1610 and 1617. During these years, the King's Men performed plays by Shakespeare and other famous writers like Ben Jonson and John Fletcher.
Robert Johnson is most famous for writing the original music for some of Shakespeare's songs. The most well-known songs he set to music are from Shakespeare's play The Tempest. These include "Where the Bee Sucks" and "Full Fathom Five". He is the only composer we know of who wrote the original music for Shakespeare's plays. Other composers wrote music for Shakespeare's words, but their music wasn't necessarily used in the actual plays.
Johnson and the Blackfriars Theatre
From 1608, the King's Men started using the Blackfriars Theatre as their winter stage. This theater was indoors, unlike the Globe Theatre, which was open-air. Being indoors meant they could use more music and sound effects. Candles lit the Blackfriars Theatre, and they needed to be changed between acts. This also allowed for music to be played during these breaks.
Shakespeare's play The Tempest, written around 1610, is a good example of a play that might have been written for Blackfriars. It has many stage directions that ask for music and sound effects. Even though they used Blackfriars, the King's Men still performed at the Globe and for the King at court. Robert Johnson's theater music would have been heard in all these places.
Robert Johnson's Works
You can find some of Robert Johnson's music on recordings. For example, Alfred Deller's album Shakespeare Songs has famous versions of the songs from The Tempest. You can also find his lute music played by Nigel North and Lynda Sayce.
Music for Ben Jonson's Plays
- "Have you seen the bright lily grow?" from Ben Jonson's play The Devil is an Ass (1616).
* A popular recording of this song is by the musician Sting on his 2006 album Songs from the Labyrinth.
- Oberon, the Faery Prince was a masque written by Ben Jonson and performed in 1611. Robert Johnson worked with another composer, Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger, on the music for this show.
Music for Shakespeare's Plays
Here are some of the songs and pieces Robert Johnson wrote, many of them for Shakespeare's plays:
- Where the bee sucks (from The Tempest)
- Hark, hark! the lark (from Cymbeline)
- Come hither, you that love
- As I walked forth
- Woods, rocks, and mountains (thought to be from a lost play by Shakespeare called Cardenio)
- 'Tis late and cold
- O let us howl
- Arm, arm!
- Come away, Hecate
- Fantasia (a lute piece)
- Pavan I in C minor (a dance piece for lute)
- Pavan II in F minor (a dance piece for lute)
- Pavan III in C minor (a dance piece for lute)
- Galliard (a lively dance piece for lute)
- Charon, oh Charon
- Away delights
- Come, heavy sleep
- Care-charming sleep
- Alman I (a dance piece for lute)
- Alman II (a dance piece for lute)
- Alman III (a dance piece for lute)
- Alman IV
- Corant (a dance piece for lute)
- Full fathom five (from The Tempest)
- Adieu, fond love
- Come away, thou lady gay
- Tell me, dearest
See also
- Drexel 4175
