String Ensemble - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.549211 Composed by Gabrieli. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Renaissance,Standards. 88 pages. Jmsgu3 #3464715. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.549211). A musical monument: the first composition to employ dynamics. Instrumentation: 2 violins, 1 viola, 5 cellos 1 double bass. Arranged in two antiphonal choirs: I - string quartet, II - cello choir w/bass. The double bass part assumes low c extension; however, a non-extension bass part is included.Giovanni Gabrieli's Sonata Pian e Forte is essential as it represents the shift from the Renaissance to the Baroque period. It is part of his 1597 Sacrae symphoniae, which contains sixty-three choral and instrumental works, many in multi-choir formations. It is the first known composition in history to employ dynamics, with Gabrieli using specific notation to indicate instrumentation and experimenting with assembling massive instrumental forces into isolated groups separated by space. This innovation contributed heavily to the Baroque Concertato style and the development of the sonata, a musical form that came into general use toward the end of the sixteenth century. The structure of the piece is defined by the dialogue between two instrumental choirs, making it a key example of Gabrieli's influential contributions to the transition in musical style during his time.
