Andrea Gabrieli, also called Andrea Di Cannaregio,…
1587 CE
Andrea Gabrieli, also called Andrea Di Cannaregio, had been born in the Canareggio quarter of Venice, but nothing is known about him until 1536, when he had become a singer at St. Mark's Cathedral and a pupil of its music director, the great Franco-Flemish composer Adriaan Willaert.
From Willaert he had learned the art of writing polyphonic motets and in particular that of composing for separated choirs placed in different parts of the church with consequent stereophonic effect.
It is possible that Andrea had been a singer at Verona cathedral around 1550.
He had become organist at the church of S. Geremia in Venice in 1558 but soon left for an extended period of foreign travel.
He had served in the Bavarian court chapel at Munich under another great Franco-Fleming, Orlando di Lasso, then visited the court of Graz in Austria, and finally was patronized by the noble Fugger family in Augsburg.
He returned to Venice in 1564 to become second organist at St. Mark's, where he remained until 1584, when he succeeded the virtuoso performer Claudio Merulo as first organist—a position he holds until his death in 1586.
Known for his madrigals and his large-scale choral and instrumental music for public ceremonies, his finest work was composed for the acoustic resources of the Cathedral of St. Mark in Venice.
Some of these works are published posthumously in 1587: one of the finest is the Magnificat for three choirs and orchestra, doubtless intended to be performed in St. Mark's.
He is the uncle of Giovanni Gabrieli, who had studied with him and regarded him with almost filial affection.
To the latter's foreign travels and connections Giovanni owed his chance to become known abroad.
Giovanni, having also served under di Lasso in Munich, in 1584 returned to Venice and a year later succeeded his uncle as second organist of St. Mark's Cathedral—the post he will hold for life.
After Andrea's death, Giovanni quickly assumes the limelight in the field of ceremonial music, though he is never so active as a madrigalist.
The publication of his uncle's music in 1587 is a mark of respect but also includes some of his own church music.
Giovanni's foreign connections include Hans Leo Hassler, the German composer and former pupil of Andrea, who has avidly adopted the Venetian style, and patrons, such as the Fugger family and Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.
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