Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612), transcribed and edited by James D. Feiszli
A towering influence over the early Reanissance, Giovanni Gabrieli was born in Venice the nephew of the respected maestro di capella of the basilica San Marco, Andrea Gabrieli. Giovanni also went to Munich to study with Orlando de Lassus until about 1579.
By 1584 he had become principal organist at San Marco. Following his uncle’s death in 1585, he took the post of principal composer.
Like composers before and after him, Gabrieli used the unusual layout of San Marco, with its two choir lofts facing each other, to create striking spatial effects. Many of his pieces are written so that an ensemble will first be heard on one side, followed by a response from the musicians on the other side; sometimes a third group situated on a stage near the main altar in the centre of the church would also be employed. While this polychoral style had been extant for decades, Gabrieli was the first composer to specify groups of instruments and singers, with precise directions for instrumentation.
I transcribed this music for my brass choir of undergraduate non-music majors.
SCORE AND PARTS AVAILABLE FOR 20 USD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZZ4HbZscAQ