Robert Johnson (English composer)

Robert Johnson ( 1583 – 1633) was an English composer and lutenist of the late Tudor and early Jacobean eras. He is sometimes called “Robert Johnson II” to distinguish him from an earlier Scottish composer. He worked with William Shakespeare, providing music for some of his later plays. Early life Robert Johnson was the son of John Johnson, who was a lutenist to Elizabeth I. In 1594, Robert’s father died, and in 1596, he joined the household of George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon as an apprentice. Robert is assumed to have been around 13 at the time, as this was a typical age to begin an apprenticeship, but his date of birth is unknown. Carey and his wife, Elizabeth Spencer, were patrons of the lutenist and composer John Dowland, who dedicated various compositions to them. The family had a London house (Hunsdon House, Blackfriars) and a country home (Hunsdon House, Hunsdon, Hertfordshire), which partially survives. Johnson joined the Carey household at an interesting time in their patronage of the arts. In 1597, Dowland dedicated his First book of songs and ayres to George Carey. As well as supporting musicians, Carey was patron of a theatre company to which William Shakespeare belonge