Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Concerto Palatino & Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal conducted by Christopher Jackson.
I - 0:00
Gabrieli's "Angelus ad pastores ait" was published in Volume I of "Concerti di Andrea et di Giovanni Gabrieli" in Venice on 1587, a volume mostly dedicated to the works of his uncle Andrea Gabrieli, but also includes Giovanni's first motets. These early works show much influence of his uncle's style in the use of dialogue and echo effects. In its original form, it is scored for twelve voices separated in two groups of six. The text is a combination of fragments taken from the Bible (specifically Luke 2:10-11), as well as the hymn "Gloria in excelsis Deo".
The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. As described in verses 8–20, shepherds were tending their flocks out in the countryside near Bethlehem, when they were terrified by the appearance of an angel. The angel explains that he has a message of good news for all people, namely that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." After this, a great many more angels appear, praising God with the words "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests." Deciding to do as the angel had said, the shepherds travel to Bethlehem, and find Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus lying in the manger, just as they had been told. The adoration of the shepherds follows.
Just as many European composers beat a trail to Venice to study with the renowned musicians there, the Venetian Giovanni Gabrieli’s earliest studies were with his uncle Andrea, at St Mark’s, before he travelled north to Munich to learn from the esteemed and influential Orlando de Lassus. Returning to Venice, he was appointed to St Mark’s as organist and subsequently, following his uncle’s death, as principal composer. Gabrieli's career rose further when he took the additional post of organist at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, another post he retained for his entire life. San Rocco was the most prestigious and wealthy of all the Venetian confraternities, and second only to San Marco itself in the splendour of its musical establishment.
The popular historical imagination has long nourished a fascination with the cori spezzati (split choir) traditions of Venice's San Marco Cathedral. Well-known complexities of this church's architecture provide numerous locations for the placement of musical ensembles: multiple choir lofts around the altar, elevated galleries, and even oversized, raised pulpits. Though more sober historical analysis has tempered earlier concepts of a nearly Berliozian disposition of performing forces in San Marco, several generations of Venetian musicians cultivated music that exploits the contrasts between antiphonal groups. The trend culminates in the splendid polychoral motets of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli.
Musically, the motet alternates between homophonic declamation for textual clarity and intricate polyphony that showcases Gabrieli’s contrapuntal skill. The opening "Angelus ad pastores ait" is typically set in a bright, declamatory style, projecting the angel’s proclamation with rhythmic vitality. Subsequent sections often employ imitative entries and echo effects between the choirs, creating a dialogue that mirrors the narrative exchange between angel and shepherds. The basso continuo underpins the texture, adding harmonic stability while allowing the upper voices to weave elaborate melodic lines. Dynamic contrasts and sudden shifts in texture heighten the drama, culminating in jubilant "Gloria in excelsis Deo" passages that convey the celebratory essence of Christmas worship.
[Activate subtitles to see the lyrics in Latin/English].
Picture: "Adoration of the Shepherds" (c. 1580-90) by the Italian painter Jacopo Bassano.
Sources: tinyurl.com/2chnmus3 and Copilot GPT-5.
To check the score: tinyurl.com/2b2ms2w6
Concerto Palatino & Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal conducted by Christopher Jackson.
I - 0:00
Gabrieli's "Angelus ad pastores ait" was published in Volume I of "Concerti di Andrea et di Giovanni Gabrieli" in Venice on 1587, a volume mostly dedicated to the works of his uncle Andrea Gabrieli, but also includes Giovanni's first motets. These early works show much influence of his uncle's style in the use of dialogue and echo effects. In its original form, it is scored for twelve voices separated in two groups of six. The text is a combination of fragments taken from the Bible (specifically Luke 2:10-11), as well as the hymn "Gloria in excelsis Deo".
The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. As described in verses 8–20, shepherds were tending their flocks out in the countryside near Bethlehem, when they were terrified by the appearance of an angel. The angel explains that he has a message of good news for all people, namely that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." After this, a great many more angels appear, praising God with the words "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests." Deciding to do as the angel had said, the shepherds travel to Bethlehem, and find Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus lying in the manger, just as they had been told. The adoration of the shepherds follows.
Just as many European composers beat a trail to Venice to study with the renowned musicians there, the Venetian Giovanni Gabrieli’s earliest studies were with his uncle Andrea, at St Mark’s, before he travelled north to Munich to learn from the esteemed and influential Orlando de Lassus. Returning to Venice, he was appointed to St Mark’s as organist and subsequently, following his uncle’s death, as principal composer. Gabrieli's career rose further when he took the additional post of organist at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, another post he retained for his entire life. San Rocco was the most prestigious and wealthy of all the Venetian confraternities, and second only to San Marco itself in the splendour of its musical establishment.
The popular historical imagination has long nourished a fascination with the cori spezzati (split choir) traditions of Venice's San Marco Cathedral. Well-known complexities of this church's architecture provide numerous locations for the placement of musical ensembles: multiple choir lofts around the altar, elevated galleries, and even oversized, raised pulpits. Though more sober historical analysis has tempered earlier concepts of a nearly Berliozian disposition of performing forces in San Marco, several generations of Venetian musicians cultivated music that exploits the contrasts between antiphonal groups. The trend culminates in the splendid polychoral motets of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli.
Musically, the motet alternates between homophonic declamation for textual clarity and intricate polyphony that showcases Gabrieli’s contrapuntal skill. The opening "Angelus ad pastores ait" is typically set in a bright, declamatory style, projecting the angel’s proclamation with rhythmic vitality. Subsequent sections often employ imitative entries and echo effects between the choirs, creating a dialogue that mirrors the narrative exchange between angel and shepherds. The basso continuo underpins the texture, adding harmonic stability while allowing the upper voices to weave elaborate melodic lines. Dynamic contrasts and sudden shifts in texture heighten the drama, culminating in jubilant "Gloria in excelsis Deo" passages that convey the celebratory essence of Christmas worship.
[Activate subtitles to see the lyrics in Latin/English].
Picture: "Adoration of the Shepherds" (c. 1580-90) by the Italian painter Jacopo Bassano.
Sources: tinyurl.com/2chnmus3 and Copilot GPT-5.
To check the score: tinyurl.com/2b2ms2w6
