Bass Trombone,Trumpet - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.549202 Composed by Giovanni Gabrieli. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Chamber,Contest,Early Music,Festival,Renaissance,Standards. 47 pages. Jmsgu3 #3460779. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.549202). An antiphonal masterwork from the Sacrae Symphoniae, Venice,1597. Minimum instrumentation: 2 Trumpets, 2 French Horns, 2 Tenor Trombones, 2 Bass Trombones. Suggested instrumentation: multiples of the minimum instrumentation, e.g., 4 or 8 on each part. Place the choirs left and right - separated by enough space to accentuate the antiphonal nature of the music entirely. It is best performed in an ample reverberant space. Euphoniums might replace some of the trombones to good effect. Innovations First of all, Gabrieli preferred sacred vocal and, indeed, instrumental music. Hence, he concentrated on music that consequently took advantage of resonance and likewise reverberation for maximum effect. It seems like Gabrieli may have invented dynamics – or was rather the first to indicate them, such as in his Sonata Pian’ e Forte. Consequently, he was also a pioneer in spatial techniques. He, therefore, developed and used very specific notation to indicate instrumentation. Gabrieli experimented with assembling massive instrumental forces into isolated groups separated by space. In this way, he consequently contributed heavily to the Baroque Concertato style. Polychoral Works Gabrieli probably used the layout of the San Marco church for his experiments. This is because he worked there as a musician and composer. Furthermore, the church had two choir lofts facing each other. He certainly used these to create striking spatial effects between instrumental forces. Certainly, many of his works are composed such that a choir or instrumental group could first be heard on one side, followed by a response from the group on the other. Sometimes there was probably a third group positioned near the main altar as well. Spatial Music Above all, Gabrieli studied carefully detailed groups of instruments and singers. Furthermore, it seems like he created precise directions for instrumentation rather than two groups. Because they could be appropriately situated, the instruments could consequently be heard with perfect clearness at distant locations. As a result, arrangements that seem bizarre on paper can, in contrast, sound perfectly in balance. First Works Finally, Gabrieli published his first motets and his uncle Andrea's compositions in Concerti (1587). These compositions furthermore indicate considerable usage of dialogue and echo effects. Consequently, here we see low and high choirs with the variance between their ranges indicated by instrumental accompaniment. Seems like Gabrieli’s later motets Sacrae Symphoniae (1597) move away from close antiphony. In contrast, he moves towards not simply echoing the material but developing it through sequential choral entrances. Even more, he takes this procedure to the extreme in the Motet Omnes Gentes. Unlike earlier works, the instruments are an essential part of the presentation here. Also, only parts marked Capella are supposed to be sung. Homophony Hence, after 1605, Gabrieli moved to a much more homophonic style. He writes sections purely for instruments – which is called Sinfonia – and smaller sections for vocal soloists, accompanied by a basso continuo.
