Giovanni Gabrieli


Gabrieli, Giovanni

 

Born 1557 (?), in Venice; died Aug. 12, 1612 or 1613, in Venice. Italian composer. Nephew and pupil of A. Gabrieli.

From 1575 to 1579, Gabrieli was a member of the court choir conducted by O. Lasso (Munich). From 1584 he was an organist at St. Mark’s Cathedral (Venice). Gabrieli was a great master of the Venetian school and the author of ecclesiastical polyphonic compositions for several choruses, orchestras, and two organs. His “Sacred Symphonies” laid the foundation for orchestral music, and his organ works were the first examples of solo organ music. The German composer H. Schütz studied with Gabrieli.

REFERENCES

Winterfeld, C. Johannes Gabrieli und sein Zeitalter, vols. 1-2. Berlin, 1834.
Benvenuti, G. Andrea e Giovanni Gabrieli e la musica strumentale in San Marco, vols. 1-2. Milan, 1931-32.