Tears of joy or tears of woe?.El emblema de la Lachrima en la obra de John Dowland : un ensayo de interpretación

Abstract

The song “Come heavy sleep”, by John Dowland, an English lutenist from late sixteenth-century, shows evidence of the influence of neoplatonic ideas currently in favour among certain British aristocratic and intelectual circles from the time. Within this context, the lachrima, a musical emblem adopted by Dowland as his own, is noteworthy for its disclosure of a rich and complex symbolism that points towards a conception of music as a means of spiritual knowledge and development.