Johnson was a well-thought of composer in the England of the late sixteenth century. He was asked by Morley to contribute to "The Triumphes of Oriana," was described as one of England's leading composers, and Byrd arranged a keyboard setting of one of his dance pairs. From the references to his music titles, Johnson probably played the viol and virginal but primarily composed songs. Having been employed and funded by the Kitson family, Johnson composed for the Kitsons as well as Queen Elizabeth who was once so taken with one of his songs that she asked it to be repeated. His contributions to Morley's collections aid an air of mystery to the otherwise straightforward retinue employing a metaphorical allusion to, probably, Byrd. Perhaps Johnson's best known work was "Jhonsons Medley" which was the composition he wrote for the Bachelors degree from Cambridge in 1594. Johnson, however, had written the piece six years earlier and it was already well known. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi
