Gabrieli, Giovanni

Gabrieli, Giovanni, celebrated Italian organist, composer, and teacher, nephew of Andrea Gabrieli; b. Venice, c. 1555; d. there, Aug. 12, 1612. He received training from his uncle. He lived in Munich from 1575 to 1579. On Nov. 1, 1584, he was engaged to substitute for Merulo as 1st organist at S. Marco in Venice. On Jan. 1, 1585, he was permanently appointed as 2nd organist (his uncle meanwhile took charge of the 1st organ), and retained this post until his death. As a composer, he stands at the head of the Venetian school; he was probably the first to write vocal works with parts for instrumental groups in various combinations, partly specified, partly left to the conductor, used as accompaniment as well as interspersed instrumental sinfonie (Sacrae symphoniae). His role as a composer and teacher is epoch-making; through his innovations and his development of procedures and devices invented by others (free handling of several choirs in the many-voiced vocal works, “concerted” solo parts and duets in the few-voiced vocal works, trio-sonata texture, novel dissonance treatment, speech rhythm, root progressions in fifths, use of tonal and range levels for structural purposes, coloristic effects) and through his numerous German pupils (particularly Schutz) and other transal-pine followers, he gave a new direction to the development of music. His instrumental music helped to spark the composition of German instrumental ensemble music, which reached its apex in the symphonic and chamber music works of the Classical masters. Of interest also is the fact that one of his ricercari, a 4-part work in the 10th tone (1595), is an early example of the “fugue with episodes.” Many of his works also appeared in various collections of the period. The Opera Omnia began publication in 1956 in the Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae series.

Works

VOCAL Sacred : Concerti… continenti musica di chiesa, madrigali, & altro…libra primo et secondo for 6 to 8, 10, 12, and 16 Voices, and Instruments (Venice, 1587); Sacrae symphoniae for 6 to 8, 10, 12, and 14 to 16 Voices, and Instruments (Venice, 1597); Symphoniae sacrae…liber secundus for 7, 8, 10 to 17, and 19 Voices, and Instruments (Venice, 1615). S e c u l a r : Concerti…continenti musica di chiesa, madrigali, & altro…primo et secondo for 6 to 8, 10, 12, and 16 Voices, and Instruments (Venice, 1587). INSTRUMENTAL : Sacrae symphoniae for 6 to 8, 10, 12, and 14 to 16 Voices, and Instruments (Venice, 1597); Intonationi d’organo…libra primo (Venice, 1593); Canzoni et sonate for 3, 5 to 8,10,12,14,15, and 22 Instruments, with Basso Continuo (organ) (Venice, 1615).

Bibliography

J. Flower, G. G.’s Sacrae Symphoniae (1597) (diss., Univ. of Mich., 1955); S. Kunze, Die Instrumentalmusik G. G.s (Tutzing, 1963); E. Kenton, Life and Works ofG. G., Musicological Studies and Documents, XVI (1967); D. Arnold, G. G. (London, 1974); W.Miiller-Blattau, Tonsazt und Klanggestaltung bei G. G. (Kassel, 1975); D. Arnold, G. G. and the Music of the Venetian High Renaissance (Oxford, 1979); P. Manzini, G. G.: II suo linguaggio musicale (Genoa, 1984); R. Charteris, G. G. (ca. 1555–1612): A Thematic Catalog of his Music with A Guide to the Source Materials, and Translations of his Vocal Texts (N.Y., 1996).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire