I'm not a historian but as I understand it the music of John Dowland and others of his ilk was the music of the privileged upper classes. That's why we have it today, because it was written down and notated or maybe tabbed in the case of lute music, and it was only the privileged who could do that. It wasn't folk music and it hasn't survived through the oral tradition. This is not meant as a criticism. I used to find trained singing awful. It's only recently that I find a voice like a counter tenor not only acceptable but actually amazing. I'm glad this repertoire survived.