Sonata Pian’e Forte

The Renaissance was a period of time that marked the rebirth of learning, science, and
the arts, incorporating in them humanism and new artistic ideals. Beginning in the 15th Century
in northern Italy, it eventually spread throughout Europe, and cities like Naples, Genoa, and
Venice became the centers of this new age. European intellectuals became more interested in the
world around them, which led them to explore new continents. While at the same time, they
looked to the works of ancient scholars, particularly ones of ancient Greece and Rome. During
this Renaissance, Michelangelo created sculptural and painted masterpieces like David and The
Last Judgment, Da Vinci painted many works of art like the famous Mona Lisa and The Last
Supper, and many other inspired artists—such as Donatello, Raphael, Botticelli, and Titian—
produced some of the most well-known and respected arts the world has ever seen. However,
one aspect of the Renaissance most people would not normally think of is the music. At that
time, music was transitioning for the strict guidelines of Medieval times to the flourishing
standards of the Renaissance. Musicians like William Byrd, Giovanni Palestrina, and Claudio
Monteverdi composed a new style of self-expression and freedom that had been seen before the
Renaissance. Giovanni Gabrieli was an Italian Renaissance composer who’s most famous work
—and one of the esteemed pieces of the time—was Sonata Pian’e Forte. He was also the nephew
of the famous composer Andrea Gabrieli. Published in Venice 1597, Sonata Pian’e Forte was a
part of the collection Sacrae Symphoniae, also a notable achievement by Gabrieli. This piece
followed the newly-laid values of Renaissance art, while adding Gabrieli’s own specialties and
his expression of artistic freedom.

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.

Musical texture was an essential part of the Renaissance as well. This value was less
paralleled by the other tangible forms of art; however, it was a crucial value in Renaissance
music. As new experimentation took place, polyphony rose as one of the most popular ideas that
composers used. Polyphonic texture is the use of two or more voices in the music, commonly
executed by utilizing more choirs, or “Coros” (polychoral). (Take into account that in this case,
Coros/choirs are groups of instruments instead of vocal choirs.) The transition of the main
melody from one Coro to the other can be found in measure 14, where Coro I “passes” the music
onto Coro II, as the former ends in chords while Coro II begins its voices in the piece. Giovanni
Gabrieli used this polyphonic concept in Sonata Pian’e Forte thoroughly, as the piece was scored
for two groups (Coro) of four instruments, meaning a total of 8 different voices. This type of
polyphonic texture is rarely seen even after the Renaissance Period. In the first 36 bars, the
texture is in free polyphony, with each voice being of equal melodic importance. There is also
occasional imitation, though it rarely lasts for more than three or four notes, often at the
beginning of sections. For example, in the beginning of the piece, “Trombone 3” imitates
“Trombone 2” at a fifth below the latter. Polyphony lasted throughout the Renaissance and into
the Baroque Period, later reviving in the Romantic and Impressionistic Period. It is still of use
today. The majority of Sonata Pian’e Forte was composed in polyphonic texture, but little parts
had homophony, one voice. In bars 47 to 48, the melody is choral—composed of chords—and
therefore homophonic and a tutti. The next form of musical texture that Gabrieli composed in his
piece is a technique that he was particularly excellent at: cori spezzati. Cori spezzati is literally
“broken” choirs with one group starting and posing a “question”, and the other group providing
an “answer”. In Sonata Pian’e Forte, the two choirs answer each other with brief phrases in
antiphonal texture from bars 37 to 40. Antiphony is alternating responses in the music. This
technique also adds to the texture of not only Sonata Pian’e Forte, but also all of Gabrieli’s
works. Imitation, polyphonic and polychoral voices, cori spezzati, and occasional homophony
gives a Sonata Pian’e Forte special Renaissance textural value that Gabrieli wanted to
emphasize.

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.

Closely related to the concept of artistic freedom, expressional techniques were used to
create feelings and emotions to art. This value can be seen with all of the Renaissance arts, from
sculptures to poems to music. Music was perhaps the leading form of art that involved the most
expression and intonation. Starting off with dynamics—words or symbols that indicate how
loudly or softly to play a piece—Gabrieli used plenty. Dynamics add depth to music and it brings
forth feeling not only in the performer, but also to the audience. First of all, the mere title of the
piece refers to the alternating soft and loud dynamics used in this piece. This type of instruction
was never before seen; most pieces had no markings on them from the composer to direct the
volume of sound. In Sonata Pian’e Forte, bar 1, there are two “P”s below the first notes. This
stands for piano, meaning “play softly”; while an “F”— forte—means to play loudly. Coro II
begins with piano in measure 14, and both choirs play forte altogether in measure 26. Other
markings of dynamics are in bars 31, 37, 40, and so on. Thus, these dynamics create depth and
realistic expression in Sonata Pian’e Forte, which is one of the most well-known aspects of the
Renaissance. Along with dynamics, one special method that Gabrieli uses to create the feeling of
anticipation is suspension, which can also be found in various places of this piece. For example,
in measure 11 of Sonata Pian’e Forte, the piece seemly stops and ends with a G Major chord.
This is suspension, in which the music seems to be suspended, creates a sense of anticipation by
waiting for the harmonies to resolve. And from bars 11 to 25, suspension is used frequently. As
well as dynamics and suspension, Gabrieli specified exactly which instruments to use to perform
this piece, making Sonata Pian’e Forte one of the first pieces in which the composer gives
detailed indication of the instruments to use. Until the end of the 16th Century, musical
instruments had been used mainly to accompany vocals (Cantabile). But just before 1600, Italian
composers began to write pieces for instruments alone. Gabrieli wrote Sonata Pian’e Forte for
two contrasting groups of instruments, and in each group the three lower instruments are
Sackbuts (the predecessor to the modern trombone). In the first group, the top is written for the
Cornett, while the second group’s top part is written for Violino (similar to the modern viola).
These old instruments had been around for some time, and the wide selection of which not only
added to the composer’s own artistic freedom, but it also encouraged using the different sounds
to add expression (i.e. Rich sounds can be used to create a feeling of confidence and power).
Expression was an influential part of the Renaissance arts, and it was written into Sonata Pian’e
Forte very nicely.

The Renaissance was a very bright time, filled with new explorations and
experimentations. In art, the rebirth of an interest in new techniques formed, especially in music.
Renaissance values were incorporated into Giovanni Gabrieli’s Sonata Pian’e Forte. Principles
found in Sonata Pian’e Forte include harmony, texture, artistic freedom, and expression. And it
was these beliefs that created the bright reputation of the Renaissance.