John Farmer was a distinguished English organist and composer, best remembered as one of the composers of the English Madrigal School. He was reputed for his brilliant settings for four voices of the old church psalm tunes. He served as organist and Master of Children at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and as organist of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Farmer had a brief yet fruitful career and his rich oeuvre includes masterpieces that are noted for their remarkably melodious compositions. Farmer remained instrumental in development of the English madrigal and his musical contributions added value to several English music genres including consort song and English Psalter. He dedicated his only collection of four-part madrigals, First Set of English Madrigals, and his collection of canons, Divers & Sundry Waies of Two Parts in One, to the Number of Fortie upon one Playnsong,  to his patron the Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere. He used clever tone painting in one of his masterpieces, Fair Phyllis I Saw Sitting All Alone. He also contributed to the extremely popular madrigal anthology The Triumphs of Oriana dedicated to Elizabeth I. His The Lord's Prayer, which finds place in Volume 2 of Oxford Choral Classics, is performed widely in several Churches and Cathedrals, mainly in Britain.