Trascrizioni : José Luis ROJO

Robert Johnson was the son of John Johnson (who was a lutenist to the Queen of England from 1581 until his death in 1594). His first mention of Robert Johnson finds him in the service of Mr. George Carey (Lord Chamberlain) in 1596. In 1604 his name appears as lutenist in the court of King James I, with wages of 20 pence per day, and an annual allowance of £16. Robert Johnson became composer to the acting companies who performed masques and plays in the Globe and Blackfriars theatres. From1607 until his death he composed music for Thomas Middleton and Ben Jonson.
Robert Johnson is the only composer known to have written music for the plays of Shakespeare (in particular The Tempest, for which he wrote two songs). He also wrote for Beaumont, Thomas and John Webster. In 1611 he became one of the musicians at the private chapel of Prince Henry at an annual salary of £40. Robert Johnson was a subtle and gifted musician. He can be considered among the finest of English composers of songs of his generation. He was instrumental in bringing about the renaissance of the 9 and 10 course lute.
The following transcriptions by José Luis ROJO.

Alman X 1 page classical guitar sheet music - PDF 20Ko
Alman XI 1 page classical guitar sheet music - PDF 23Ko
Alman XII 1 page classical guitar sheet music - PDF 22Ko
The First Dance (The Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn) 1 page classical guitar sheet music - PDF 17Ko
Galliard 2 pages classical guitar sheet music - PDF 28Ko

Alman XI of "Oberon" (King of the Fairies), "Maske" of Ben Jonson (1611), with music by Robert Johnson. This piece is in the manuscript known as"ML", from the initials on its cover (Margaret L). It was formerly known as the “Locke” or "Sturt" ms. Of the 7 pieces which are by John Sturt, 6 are in this manuscript.

Alman XII Dd Manuscript. 4.22 (c.1615). This is an instruction book which includes works by Robert Johnson and John Sturt, as well as Allison, Dowland, Pilkington and Bacheler. Ornamental signs are given in the tablatures.It also contains works by the French lutenists Mercure d'Orléans, Robert Ballard, C. Bocquet, René Saman et Julien Perrichon.

fac-simile : “Kraków” ms.
1-recto page of the manuscript “Kráków”, who contains mainly works of Robert Johnson and John Sturt. There is no ornamentation written in the fingering chart.
The extreme simplicity of the writing in contrast with that in the kind of highly decorated books owned by aristocratic families indicates that it was intended purely for professional use. The first piece is a “Ballet” by Johnson, the second is the first dance from “The Middle Temple and Lincoln’s Inn” also by Johnson.