Short answers, pulled from the story.
John Dowland, born around 1563 and buried on the 20th of February 1626, was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known for melancholy lute songs including "Flow my tears", "Come again", and "In darkness let me dwell", and for his instrumental collection Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares, published in 1604.
Dowland worked at the French court in Paris from 1580, served the courts of the Duke of Brunswick and Landgrave of Hesse in Germany, and from 1598 held a post at the court of Christian IV of Denmark, where his annual salary was 500 daler. He finally secured a position as one of James I's lutenists in England in early 1612.
Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares, Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans is a collection of seven pavanes for five viols and lute published by Dowland in 1604. Each pavane is based on a theme drawn from his lute song "Flow my tears", and the collection became one of the best known sets of consort music of its time.
Dowland became briefly entangled in a treasonous Catholic plot while travelling in Italy, where conspirators offered him money from the Pope and safe passage for his family. He declined, broke from the plotters, and wrote to Sir Robert Cecil begging pardon from both Cecil and Queen Elizabeth I. He also performed espionage assignments for Cecil in France and Denmark.
Benjamin Britten wrote Nocturnal after John Dowland in 1963 for guitarist Julian Bream, based on Dowland's song "Come Heavy Sleepe, the Image of True Death." The piece consists of eight variations on themes from the song, with the original melody only appearing at the very end. Britten also wrote a set of viola variations titled Lachrymae, drawing on Dowland's song "If my complaints."
Sting released Songs from the Labyrinth on Deutsche Grammophon in October 2006, in collaboration with lutenist Edin Karamazov. The album features Dowland's songs and includes Sting reading passages from a 1593 letter Dowland wrote to Sir Robert Cecil, describing his European travels and denying charges of treason.