In Ecclesiis
Encyclopedia
In Ecclesiis is Giovanni Gabrieli
's most famous single work. A magnum opus
of polychoral techniques, it also epitomises Baroque
and Renaissance
styles, with its prolific use of pedal point
s and extended plagal cadences.
Written while Gabrieli was the organist at St Mark's Basilica
, Venice, the music was designed to be performed in this unique building. The indivdual groups of musicians and singers would have been spatially seperated around the grand architecture creating a polychoral, antiphonal texture that is difficult to replicate in mdern performances.
Although the text can be considered sacred
, it is not liturgical.
There are four groups and Continuo/Organ. These groups are set in two being instrumental, the other two made up of male singers.
The work would have been originally performed with an all-male choir. The instrumental groups here are only likely to be found in a historically accurate performance. It is more likely that the Cornetti are replaced by either Trumpet
, Cornet
, or Oboe
.
The overall structure of this piece is like a rondo
where the 'Alleluia' chorus is sung between each section.
The piece mainly uses simple chords (I, IV and V)but the use of suspensions, consonant fourths, passing notes and other sophisticated uses of dissonance create points of tension and excitement. The work is usually scored in A minor but the lack of the G# gives the modal tonality. Many phrases end with a Tierce de Picardie where the music will end with an A major chord.
Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli was an Italian composer and organist. He was one of the most influential musicians of his time, and represents the culmination of the style of the Venetian School, at the time of the shift from Renaissance to Baroque idioms.-Biography:Gabrieli was born in Venice...
's most famous single work. A magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
of polychoral techniques, it also epitomises Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
and Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
styles, with its prolific use of pedal point
Pedal point
In tonal music, a pedal point is a sustained tone, typically in the bass, during which at least one foreign, i.e., dissonant harmony is sounded in the other parts. A pedal point sometimes functions as a "non-chord tone", placing it in the categories alongside suspensions, retardations, and passing...
s and extended plagal cadences.
Written while Gabrieli was the organist at St Mark's Basilica
St Mark's Basilica
The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture...
, Venice, the music was designed to be performed in this unique building. The indivdual groups of musicians and singers would have been spatially seperated around the grand architecture creating a polychoral, antiphonal texture that is difficult to replicate in mdern performances.
Although the text can be considered sacred
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
, it is not liturgical.
There are four groups and Continuo/Organ. These groups are set in two being instrumental, the other two made up of male singers.
- Group One (Soloists) whose parts are fluid and virtuosic.
-
- CountertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
- AltoAltoAlto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
- TenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- BaritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- Countertenor
- Group Two (Chorus) whose parts are mainly homophonic though a few bars have a more contrapuntal texture. This group is restricted to a seven-bar 'Alleluia' refrain repeated between various solo and isntrumental sections.
-
- altoAltoAlto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
- alro
- tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- [|Bass]]
- alto
- Group Three
-
- First CornettCornettThe cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
- Second CornettCornettThe cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
- Third CornettCornettThe cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
- First Cornett
- Group Four
-
- Violino(likely to be Treble ViolViolThe viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the...
) - Tenor TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Bass Trombone
- Violino(likely to be Treble Viol
- Continuo-Organ and String Bass
The work would have been originally performed with an all-male choir. The instrumental groups here are only likely to be found in a historically accurate performance. It is more likely that the Cornetti are replaced by either Trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, Cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, or Oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
.
The overall structure of this piece is like a rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
where the 'Alleluia' chorus is sung between each section.
The piece mainly uses simple chords (I, IV and V)but the use of suspensions, consonant fourths, passing notes and other sophisticated uses of dissonance create points of tension and excitement. The work is usually scored in A minor but the lack of the G# gives the modal tonality. Many phrases end with a Tierce de Picardie where the music will end with an A major chord.