Composer of the Week

Donald Macleod explores the lives and music of uncle and nephew Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli

Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli share a name that dominated Venetian music during the late 16th and early 17th century. Both uncle and nephew were organists and composers, and their music was linked inextricably with the exceptional city in which they lived and worked. From the organ loft of St Mark’s Basilica to the resplendent palazzos of merchants and noblemen, they provided the soundtrack to Venice’s golden age, with its numerous feast days and celebrations. But together, they would also pioneer an ambitious way of writing choral music - playing with texture and architecture– that would eventually echo beyond the Venetian waterways and profoundly affect the music of the future.

Music Featured:

Andrea Gabrieli: Benedictus dominus Deus sabbaoth Andrea Gabrieli: Fantasia allegra del duodecima toni Andrea Gabrieli: Hor chel nel suo ben seno; Vaghi augelletti; Angel del terzo ciel; O suave a mio cor Andrea Gabrieli: Aria della battaglia Andrea Gabrieli: Laudate dominum omnes gentes a 5; Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius a 10; Giovanni Gabrieli: O magnum mysterium Andrea Gabrieli: Ricercar del settimo tuono Giovanni Gabrieli: Deus qui beatum Marcum Andrea Gabrieli: Sancta et immaculata; Laetare Jerusalem Andrea Gabrieli: Maria Magdalenae et altera Maria; Maria stabat ad monumentum Andrea Gabrieli: Kyrie a 5; Christe a 8; Kyrie a 12; Gloria a 16 Giovanni Gabrieli: Exaudi me domine a 16 Giovanni Gabrieli: Hic est filius Dei (arr. Timothy Higgins) a 18 Giovanni Gabrieli: Hodie Christus natus est Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata pian e forte Giovanni Gabrieli: Udite, chiari e generosi figli Andrea Gabrieli: Psalmi Davidici, Psalmo 31:Beati quórum remissae; Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci; Tu es refugium meum a tribulatione; In camo et fraeno Giovanni Gabrieli: Audite príncipes Giovanni Gabrieli: Litaniae Beatae Mariae Virginis Andrea Gabrieli: O salutaris hostia Giovanni Gabrieli: Cantate Domino a 8 Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata con tre violini - XXI Giovanni Gabrieli: Timor et tremor Giovanni Gabrieli: Jubilate Deo Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata a 22; Magnificat a 33 Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata octavi toni a 12; Omnes gentes Giovanni Gabrieli: Sacri di Giove augei, sacre Fenici Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon XXVIII a 8 “Sol sol la fa mi” Giovanni Gabrieli:Buccinate in neomenio tuba Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon per sonar primi toni a 10; Canzon a 4 “La Spiritata”; Canzon 3 a 6 Giovanni Gabrieli: Maria virgo a 10; Canzon in echo duodecimo toni; Hic est filius Dei Giovanni Gabrieli: Quem vidistis pastores Giovanni Gabrieli: In eclesiis

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x3y2

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z