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

Andrea 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

Presented by Donald Macleod

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x3y2

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z