Encyclopedia of the Renaissance and the Reformation

(Bozica Vekic) #1
Gabrieli, Andrea (c. 1510–1585) Italian composer
He was a singer at St. Mark’s, Venice, in 1536 and organ-
ist at San Geremia there in 1557. In 1562 he was in the
service of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria; accompanying him
on a state visit to Frankfurt, he met LASSUSin Munich.
From 1566 until his death Gabrieli was organist at St.
Mark’s. Gabrieli was a prolific composer; his works in-
clude keyboard music, notably canzonas and ricercars,
which forms he developed, madrigals, and sacred music.
He also wrote music for ceremonial occasions, such as the
celebrations following the victory against the Turks at LEP-
ANTO(1571). Gabrieli’s compositions show the influence
of Lassus and WILLAERT, and he is acknowledged as one of
the foremost native Venetian composers who emerged
after a long period of Flemish dominance. He was the
uncle and most probably teacher of Giovanni GABRIELI.

Gabrieli, Giovanni (c. 1555–1612) Italian composer
The nephew of Andrea GABRIELI, he almost certainly stud-
ied with his uncle and like him worked for Duke Albrecht
V in Munich; in 1575 he collaborated in a madrigal col-
lection by composers who served the duke. Around 1579
he left Munich and in 1584 was back in Venice as tempo-
rary organist at St. Mark’s. He obtained the permanent
post, and that of organist at the Scuola Grande di San
Rocco, in 1585 and kept both until his death. For both in-
stitutions Gabrieli wrote ceremonial music, much of
which he published in his Sacrae symphoniae (1597). This
contains music for two or more choirs, some with instru-
ments, and shows a development from his earlier works
which were influenced by his uncle. Around 1605 his
style became more progressive; solo voices, obbligato
parts for specific instruments, and basso continuo are

used in varied combinations. Gabrieli also composed in-
strumental music; his Canzoni e sonate (1615) contains
elaborate music for large ensembles.
Further reading: Denis Arnold, Giovanni Gabrieli and
the Music of the Venetian High Renaissance (1979; repr. Ox-
ford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1985).

Gaddi, Agnolo (c. 1350–1396) Italian painter
The son of Taddeo GADDI, Agnolo Gaddi worked in the
Vatican as assistant to his painter brother Giovanni before
embarking upon his own prosperous career. He was the
last Florentine painter stylistically descended from GIOTTO
and, like both Giotto and his own father, painted a series
of frescoes in Sta. Croce, Florence (sometime after 1374).
His most important work there was in the choir, illustrat-
ing the Legend of the True Cross (1388–93), in which his
sacrifice of expression to design and highly decorated
style anticipate the more refined paintings of his pupil
Lorenzo Monaco and subsequent artists. He also designed
a number of medallions, worked on statues, and painted
other notable frescoes in Prato cathedral (1392–95) and
San Minato al Monte, Florence (1393–96).

Gaddi, Taddeo (c. 1300–c. 1366) Italian painter
Son of the artist Gaddo Gaddi (c. 1250–1330) and godson
of GIOTTO, Gaddi was a prominent member of the Floren-
tine school of painters and worked directly under Giotto,
as his chief assistant, for 24 years. His best-known fresco
cycle, the Life of the Virgin in the Baroncelli chapel in Sta.
Croce, Florence, was undertaken as an independent com-
mission in 1332 and completed in 1338. The cycle
demonstrates Gaddi’s devotion to the manner of Giotto,
which he later passed on to his son Agnolo GADDI, as well

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