Giovanni Gabrieli

Unlike many of his Venetian contemporaries, who composed in a wide range of genres, Giovanni Gabrieli concentrated almost entirely on vocal and instrumental music for the church. Born in Venice in the mid-1550s, he was taught by his uncle, Andrea Gabrieli, and during the 1570s worked and studied under Orlande de Lassus in Munich. In 1584 he joined Andrea as one of the organists at St. Mark’s, Venice, holding the appointment until his death in 1612. Giovanni’s fame rests on his ceremonial motets (like In ecclesiis) composed for St. Mark’s and other religious institutions in Venice. Involving the spectacular interaction of multiple choirs of voices and instruments, often spatially separated (cori spezzati), well-placed members of the congregation enjoyed an early form of “surround sound.” His instrumental ensembles were no less impressive—Sonata XX calls for 22 performers divided into five instrumental “choirs”—but his organ music was generally short and avoided the use of pedals. An important teacher, Giovanni influenced a generation of composers including the greatest German composer of the 17th century, Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672).