Lanier was a composer, lutenist, singer and painter. Around 1615 Lanier was accepted as a lutenist in the royal chapel. There, in addition to the lute, he played the viola da gamba and sang. From 1625 he traveled to Italy several times to buy paintings for the king and became acquainted with the new Italian music of Claudio Monteverdi. It prompted him to bring the elements of monody and recitative to England for the first time. (Source: Wikipedia)
Note: Translataed from the German version of Wikipedia into English.
