Gabrieli's In Ecclesiis

Gabrieli's In Ecclesiis

1. Background/Instrumentation

   • Baroque/Late Renaissance
     • Sacred work published 1615
   • Four solo vocal parts - elaborate (countertenor, alto, tenor, baritone)
     • Four choral vocal parts - simple
       • Idiomatic writing
   • Six parts assigned to a group of specific instruments:
     • Three cornetts
       • soft trumpet
     • Two trombones (sackbuts)
     • Violin
     • Bass part for organ
   • 'Cori Spezzati': split choirs, make use of building of St Mark's
   • 'Stile concertato': concerted style
     • Contrast of vocal and instrumental ensembles with continuo

2. Structure

   • Latin motet; hymns of praise
     • Divided by 'Alleluia' refrains
     • Last sentence is set to longest 'Alleluia'; scored into 14 parts
   • RONDO
     • With Sinfonia which divides solos + duets
     • 6 sections; through composed

3. Texture

   • Monody in solo sections (solo voice supported by organ)
   • Choral homophony ('Deus' 102)
   • Antiphonal exchanges (opening of Tutti; section 6, 102)
   • Counterpoint in cadential phrases at end of alleluia sections
   • Imitation in concerted sections (duets) between voices and instruments
   • Canons between instruments in sinfonia in dotted section
   • Colla parte writing (instruments double vocal parts in choral sections)
   • Polychoral music

4. Rhythm/Metre

   • Mostly sustained, contrasted by quicker syllabic voice writing
   • Highly decorated vocal parts (climax)
   • Sinfonia: typical canzona rhythm with descending scales with dotted rhythms
   • Syncopated consonant 4th often decorate cadences
   • Metre changes with the flow of the piece
     • Monodic sections + sinfonia in 4/2 (main metre)
       • Alleluia sections in 3/4
         • Final slow sixth section has slower pulse in 3/1 alternating with 4/2 then returning to 3/4

5. Melody

   • Short motifs
   • Modal melodic line
   • Sequencing (13-19)
   • Stepwise movement with 4th/5th leaps
   • Falling tritones in vocal parts (72-73)
   • Mostly syllabic but melismas on special words and in decorated cadential phrases
   • some word painting

6. Tonality

   • A minor but with many modal features
   • Aeolian on A

7. Harmony

   • Mostly diatonic
   • Some chromaticism from echapees (augmented triad in bar 104)
   • Suspensions
   • False relations (102, F in bass F sharp in Cornett)
   • Unprepared discords (104, DNatural against Gsharp)
   • Dominant pedal (115-117)
   • T.D.P (final cadence)
   • Circle of 5ths (20)
   • Consonant 4ths