Composer Of The Week

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