King's Men Johnson's surviving compositions for the King's Men theatrical company have been dated to 1610–1617. During these years the King's Men were producing plays by Shakespeare and other playwrights such as Ben Jonson, Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. Johnson's main claim to fame is that he composed the original settings for some of Shakespeare's lyrics, the best-known being probably those from The Tempest: "Where the Bee Sucks" and "Full Fathom Five". He is the only composer known to have composed the original settings of Shakespeare's lyrics. While other contemporary settings of Shakespeare's lyrics exist, for example those by Thomas Morley, they have not been proved to be connected to a stage performance. Johnson and the Blackfriars Theatre From 1608 the King's Men company was using the Blackfriars Theatre as its winter base, and this may have influenced the songs and instrumental music required from Johnson. The Blackfriars Theatre, which had previously been used by a company of acting/singing children, offered increased scope for incidental music compared to the Globe Theatre. One difference between the theatres was that Blackfriars was an indoors venue, lit by candles which needed to be replaced between acts. It featured music between acts, a practice which the induction to Marston's The Malcontent (published 1604) indicates was not common in the public theatres at that time. Shakespeare's The Tempest (circa 1610), in which the stage directions call for music and sound effects, is an example of a play which may have been written for performance at Blackfriars. However, the company continued to perform at The Globe, and other venues such as the court, where Johnson's theatre music would presumably also have been heard. Works/discography There is a partial discography on the HOASM website. Notable versions of the songs from The Tempest are included in Alfred Deller's album Shakespeare Songs. Other recordings include a recital of Robert's lute music by Nigel North on Naxos, and a lute recital by Lynda Sayce of music by Robert and his father on Dervorguilla Records. Music connected with Ben Jonson's plays "Have you seen the bright lily grow?" from Ben Jonson's comedy The Devil is an Ass, 1616. The best-selling recording is that of Sting on the 2006 album Songs from the Labyrinth. Oberon, the Faery Prince, masque written by Ben Jonson (performed in 1611). Robert Johnson collaborated on the music with another composer, Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger. Recorded by Musicians