Gabrieli, Giovanni 01/01/1556 - 08/12/1612

One of the great composers of ceremonial music, Giovanni Gabrieli succeeded his uncle Andrea Gabrieli as organist at St. Mark's in Venice in 1585, where he remained until his death in 1613. Like other composers before him, he used the special circumstances of the church with its two opposing galleries to create unusual acoustic effects; thus some of his works are designed to have the left choir begin and the right choir respond.



His work as a composer represents the height of musical achievement in Renaissance Venice. His compositions show some of the earliest use of basso continuo, and in his Sonata pian e forte are found some of the earliest dynamic markings. Later he gained renown as the teacher of Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz.