“CONCERTED” MUSIC

Chapter:

CHAPTER 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations

Source:

MUSIC FROM THE EARLIEST NOTATIONS TO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

Author(s):

Richard Taruskin

The polychoral style and the Counter Reformation attitudes associated with it reached their pinnacle in Venice, the city of its birth, at the hands of two musicians from the same family, both of whom served as organists at St. Mark’s under Zarlino. Andrea Gabrieli (ca. 1532–85) competed successfully, after several failures, for the first organist’s position in 1566 and held the post until his death. During that period there were several major quasi-secular celebrations held at the cathedral—the outstanding one being the trionfi following the naval victory over the Turks at Lepanto in 1571—and Gabrieli’s music for these occasions revealed an enormous aptitude for ceremonial splendor, a talent he continued to develop as the cathedral’s musical resources were expanded. He also furnished music for theatrical presentations, including a set of choruses for up to six voices performed in March 1585 at a gala performance of Sophocles’s tragedy Oedipus tyrannis. It is the earliest surviving music specifically composed for a humanist revival of Greek drama, which puts Gabrieli in the line that led, eventually, to opera.

Citation (MLA):

Richard Taruskin. "Chapter 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations." The Oxford History of Western Music. Oxford University Press. New York, USA. n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2024. <https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume1/actrade-9780195384819-div1-018005.xml>.

Citation (APA):

Taruskin, R. (n.d.). Chapter 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations. In Oxford University Press, Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century. New York, USA. Retrieved 12 Oct. 2024, from https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume1/actrade-9780195384819-div1-018005.xml

Citation (Chicago):

Richard Taruskin. "Chapter 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations." In Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century, Oxford University Press. (New York, USA, n.d.). Retrieved 12 Oct. 2024, from https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume1/actrade-9780195384819-div1-018005.xml