History of Music, Mr. Robert L. Johnston
The 16th Century (Day 1)
Aim:
What were some of the important facets of the 16th
century, and who were Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli?
Instructional Objectives:
At the conclusion of this unit, students will:
I.
Have received a basic background to life in the 16th
century.
II. Have received a background in the musical styles and
growth seen in the 16th century.
III. Have met and heard a strong representation of the
Gabrieli’s music
Motivation:
Play Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzon Per Sonare #1, “La
Spiritata” (3:07)
Development/Procedures:
I.
General Background (Miller)
a. The 16th century is the culmination of the
Renaissance, and specifically was the height of
vocal polyphony
b. Humanism was still the pervading philosophy, as
it was in the 15th century
c. Religious history was dominated by the Protestant
Reformation, and subsequent Counter-Teformation
i. We just passed the anniversary of Martin
Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of
the Castle Church in Wittenberg (October
31st)
d. Perhaps the most notable monarch of the time was
Henry VIII of England
i. Other rulers of the time were HRE’s Charles
V and Philip II
e. The age of exploration (you will remember
Columbus’ first voyage was in 1492, at the door
of the 16th century) saw
i. Drake
ii. Cortes
iii. Magellan
iv. De Soto
v. Balboa
f. Important concurrent events
i. The Council of Trent
ii. The defeat of the Spanish Armada
g. Important artists
i. Michelangelo
1. We just passed the anniversary of the
Sistine Chapel being open to the public
(November 1st) in 1512
2. God creates Adam by Michelangelo after
restoration. (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:God2-Sistine_Chapel.png
ii. Venetian painters Titian and Tintoretto
1. It took Titian two years (1516–1518) to
complete the great fresco of Assunta,
whose dynamic three-tier composition and
gorgeous color scheme established him as
the preeminent painter north of Rome.
(Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tizian_041.jpg
2. Finding of the body of St Mark (1548).
(Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jacopo_Tintoretto_001.jpg
3. St Mark's Body Brought to Venice (1548).
(Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jacopo_Tintoretto_004.jpg
iii. Other artists
1. Cellini
2. Durer
3. Grunwald
iv. Important scientists
1. Copernicus
2. Galileo
v. Important Writers
1. Erasmus (Holland)
2. Machiavelli (Italy)
3. Cervantes (Spain)
4. Shakespeare (England)
II.
Musical Background (Miller)
a. Emergence of national schools other than the
Franco-Flemish music written by composers such as
Ockeghem and Josquin
b. “Perfection” of vocal polyphony
c. Instrumental music starts to emerge
d. Beginnings of Protestant religious music
e. Patronage of musicians saw an increased output of
secular music
f. Increased tendency towards use of major and minor
tonalities
g. Increased use of triadic structure that led to a
sense of harmonic completeness
i. You will remember that many of you spoke
about how the harmonic structure of chant
didn’t seem to give “an end” to the music
h. Emergence of numerous new textures such as fugal
that saw an increased equality of parts
III. Andrea Gabrieli (ca. 1532-1585) (Wikipedia)
a. Born in Venice
b. First internationally renowned composer of the
Venetian School
i. Spread the Venetian style throughout Italy
and Germany
c. May have been a pupil of Adrian Willaert’s
(Maestro di Cappella) at St. Mark’s Basilica
d. Was an organist
e. Traveled throughout Italy and Germany
i. Was friends with Orlando di Lassus
f. In 1566, was appointed organist for St. Mark’s
i. Extremely important post in the world of
music
ii. Held that post until his death
iii. Wrote sacred and secular music for voices or
instruments or both
iv. Wrote music unique to St. Mark’s relative to
its acoustics and architectural design
1. Cori Spezzati
a. Literally means separated choirs
b. Different ensembles stationed
themselves in different choir
lofts
c. Took advantage of obvious acoustic
result as well as echo
v. Composed a great deal of ceremonial music
1. Coronation of Doges
2. Celebrations of military victories
3. Visits from international figures, such
as princes from Japan
4. Revivals of Greek tragedies
vi. Began teaching later in his life
vii. Much of his music was published posthumously
by his nephew, Giovanni Gabrieli
viii. Play Benedictus Dominus (4:43)
1. I had originally chosen another work.
Can you tell my why I changed my mind?
IV.
Giovanni Gabrieli (ca. 1554-1612) (Wikipedia)
a. Born in Venice
b. Was the nephew of Andrea Gabrieli
c. Like his uncle, was an organist
d. Represents the culmination of the Venetian school
e. Studied with his uncle and Lasso (Orlando di
Lassus)
f. Possibly raised by his uncle
g. Became both principal organist at St. Mark’s (the
post held by his uncle), as well as principal
composer
h. Spent much of his time editing and publishing his
uncle’s music
i. Was also principal organist at the confraternity
of La Scuola di san Rocco
i. You will remember from our Venice lesson,
that this was an intellectual club
ii. Barbara Strozzi’s father was an important
member, and she, as a courtesan, traveled
freely among its membership
j. Died from complications from kidney stones
k. Wrote predominantly sacred vocal and instrumental
music
l. One of the first composers to indicate specific
instruments and singers
m. Like his uncle, and many other St. Mark’s
composers, used the polychoral style
i. Wrote music to be specifically performed in
St. Mark’s
n. Play Canzon In Double Echo (3:37)
Materials of Instruction:
Smart Board
Various Recordings
Summary:
You now have a basic introduction to the Venetian
School. We are now focusing on composers rather than
forms. I would encourage at this point, referencing
Miller’s History of Music to fill in many of the gaps that
time does not allow us to cover.
Assignment:
Choose between Adrian Willaert, Orlando di Lassus or
Heinrich Schutz, and write a short summary paragraph on
them. Remember, do not simply print out material from a web
page. That’s plagiarism
You should all be preparing for your upcoming exam.
Bibliography:
History of Music, Hugh H. Miller, Barnes & Noble
Books, New York. 1972
The Canadian Brass (featuring Principal Brass of
the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony
Orchestra), Giovanni Gabrieli –Claudio Monteverdi,
Antiphonal Music, (c) & (p) 1989, CBS Records
Masterworks
The Ambrosian Singers, The Glory of Venice, (p) 1989,
EMI Eminence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Gabrieli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Gabrieli
Suggested Reference:
History of Music, Hugh H. Miller, Barnes & Noble
Books, New York. 1972
Vidal in Venice, Gore Vidal, Summit Books, New York.
1987
Robert L. Johnston