Beruflich Dokumente
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One important value of Renaissance music was the new interest in the
development of harmony. Music was influenced by the sculptures and
paintings of this time, which depicted a balanced structure, where the
components of space and body brought the art works into an equilibrium. In
music, harmony meant greater concern with the flow and progression of
chords. Many techniques were utilized to accomplish these ideas. For
example, chord progressions included cadences, which are usually a series
of chords that end a section of music. In Sonata Pian’e Forte’s measure 16—
also can be known as “bar” 16—there are perfect cadences from F to D and
G. These cadences bring a smoother transition from the initial F to the
following C Major, which is a direct reflection of the ideals of the
Renaissance: Harmony. Of course, there are other cadences, such as in the
measures of 37 to 38, where the melody changes from C to G and then
transposed to D Major. And in the very last bar, the triumphant chordal
passage ends with an imperfect cadence in G Major. Along with the cadences
that bring balance to the passages, another technique that is used to create
a blended texture instead of contrasting strands is the use of scalic figures,
or more commonly known as just scales. Musical scales are a series of notes
that ascend or descend the keys of an octave, usually following a specific
style (Major, minor, melodic, harmonic, natural…etc.) However, in Gabrieli’s
time, which was the late Renaissance, modes were just gradually beginning
to be replaced by the modern Major/minor key system. Modes are very much
alike modern scales, except they do not have a key signature and they were
founded by the Ancient Greeks, which Europeans later adopted, another
characteristic of Renaissance art. Sonata Pian’e Forte is a great
representation of its time: it incorporates both the modern key system and
the modal structures. There are hints of G minor at the beginning of the
piece, even though it is in the Dorian mode. As for the scales, examples can
be found virtually everywhere. Starting with measure 27, the introduction of
descending and ascending scalic figures are shown for 6 bars before finally
leading to a perfect cadence in D Major. Also, in the final section of the work
(from bar 71), the descending passage from measure 27 heard earlier is
recalled. These scalic figures bring a flow to the music, easily distinguished
by ear. It also brings out the harmony of this piece by adding keys and
modes. The final aspect of harmony that is created is done by the various
tutti’s in Sonata Pian’e Forte. A tutti means “all together”, where the piece’s
several voices will merge into one united voice to add a very rich sound to
the music. This is shown in bars 38 to 43, where there is only one melody,
one voice, and one harmony. The final tutti section starts from measure 71
and lasts until the end. This principle in the harmony and balance of art was
perfected exemplified by Gabrieli’s Sonata Pian’e Forte.
Perhaps one of the most exceptional values of this time of revival was
the stress on artists’ own freedom. With Copernicus’s discovery of
heliocentrism and Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation, the Catholic
Church—which was primarily the center of Medieval life—lost its grip on
society. And thus, a humanist spirit was born, taking its concept into the arts
of the Renaissance. In music, the main idea that developed from the
weakening of religion was an increased compositions of secular music, music
that is not adapted to sacred uses. (Of course, sacred music was still very
common, but it was decreasing in popularity.) Gabrieli was caught in this
sacred to secular transition, and it can be seen by his works that he
composed both types of music. Sonata Pian’e Forte is a Sonata, which is
normally secular music used during the Classical and Contemporary Periods
of music. But in this case, it is less religious than the pieces performed
during the Middle Ages; however, it is still somewhat “sacred”, as the piece
was published in the Sacrae Symphoniae collection, translated directly to
“Sacred Symphonies”. But the point is that this in-between Sonata was
composed during a time of experimentation and freedom, and it was written
how it was because Gabrieli felt this lack of restraint. In other words, if
Gabrieli had lived in the Medieval times, he would have composed this
Sonata Pian’e Forte strictly according to the Church. And if he had lived after
the Renaissance, during the Baroque Period in Europe, than the pieces he
would’ve written would be mostly all—if not totally—secular. This piece
shows the newly discovered artistic freedom from the Church, even though it
still contains traces of religious composition. Another form of artistic freedom
lies in the meters, defined as the rhythm and beats of the melody.
Nowadays, editors of Sonata Pian’e Forte will add their own interpreted
meters at the beginning of the piece. It is important to take into account that
Gabrieli did not include any meter or indication of rhythm in his piece. This
lack of a time signature did not hinder the sonata at all because the bars are
generally of equal length, with the exception of two longer bars (measures
30 and 44) that are notated in 3/2 meter, meaning 3 beats in a measure. In
fact, this lack of meter contributed to the representation of artistic freedom,
as Gabrieli—and all the other composers of the time—need not include a
specified rhythm so that the music can flow in whichever direction the
performers wish. Even today, meters are always seen in the beginning of
pieces. Syncopation, emphasizing a weak beat or a weak note, displayed a
rebellious nature of not following the patterns of the beats. All of Gabrieli’s
pieces, not only Sonata Pian’e Forte, reflect the important Renaissance moral
of artistic freedom.