Dr. David Mathie
Trombonist, Professor, Arranger
Gabrieli - Scherza Amarilli e Clori
Six-part Brass Ensemble
Difficulty Level: College/Professional
Published by Balquhidder Music, Catalog Number BQ-125
Click below to hear Scherza Amarilli e Clori
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554 - 1612)
Details of Giovanni Gabrieli’s early life are sparse. He was probably born in 1554 and studied composition with his uncle Andrea Gabrieli, then later Orlando di Lassus. By 1584 he had settled in Venice to take the position of principal organist at the Basilica di San Marco, followed by the similar position at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Thus in his thirties he became the principal musician in the two most prestigious churches in Italy.
Scherza Amarilli e Clori was written in 1600 for the wedding of Gabrieli’s close friend Georg Gruber, a Tuscan nobleman. It was originally scored for a chorus of six voices: two sopranos (probably boys), alto, tenor, baritone and bass voices. Unlike many of his works that were written for performance in St. Mark’s Cathedral, this piece is not really antiphonal in nature.
This transcription was taken from the complete works (Giovani Gabrieli Opera Omnia, Volume XII: Madrigalia, edited by Denis Arnold, American Institute of Musicology, Hänssler-Verlag, 1974). Editorial additions have been kept to a minimum: the slurs were taken from the text, while the dynamics are suggested by both the text and texture of the music. Musical interpretations should bear in mind that the work is vocal in nature.
A word on the transitions from 3/4 time to cut time and back: current research now asserts that we take a tempo faster than what has been done in the past. Specifically, the dotted half note in 3/4 time should now equal the whole note (not the half note, as before) in cut time. Thus in this transcription the entire measure of 3/4 time equals the entire measure of cut time, or dotted half in 3/4 and whole in cut time are now at mm = 40.
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554 - 1612)
Details of Giovanni Gabrieli’s early life are sparse. He was probably born in 1554 and studied composition with his uncle Andrea Gabrieli, then later Orlando di Lassus. By 1584 he had settled in Venice to take the position of principal organist at the Basilica di San Marco, followed by the similar position at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Thus in his thirties he became the principal musician in the two most prestigious churches in Italy.
Scherza Amarilli e Clori was written in 1600 for the wedding of Gabrieli’s close friend Georg Gruber, a Tuscan nobleman. It was originally scored for a chorus of six voices: two sopranos (probably boys), alto, tenor, baritone and bass voices. Unlike many of his works that were written for performance in St. Mark’s Cathedral, this piece is not really antiphonal in nature.
This transcription was taken from the complete works (Giovani Gabrieli Opera Omnia, Volume XII: Madrigalia, edited by Denis Arnold, American Institute of Musicology, Hänssler-Verlag, 1974). Editorial additions have been kept to a minimum: the slurs were taken from the text, while the dynamics are suggested by both the text and texture of the music. Musical interpretations should bear in mind that the work is vocal in nature.
A word on the transitions from 3/4 time to cut time and back: current research now asserts that we take a tempo faster than what has been done in the past. Specifically, the dotted half note in 3/4 time should now equal the whole note (not the half note, as before) in cut time. Thus in this transcription the entire measure of 3/4 time equals the entire measure of cut time, or dotted half in 3/4 and whole in cut time are now at mm = 40.