Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
La Guilde des Mercenaires Ensemble conducted by Adrien Mabire.
I - 0:00
Gabrieli's "Ego dixi, Domine" 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 seven voices a cappella (Two cantus, Altus, Quintus, Sextus, Tenor and Bassus). The text is taken from multiple sources, all of them sacred; Psalm 40:5, Psalm 89:13 and the Te Deum.
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 work is mostly contrapuntal setting of the text (most often imitative in nature), with brief unison passages in between. Some light word-painting, very typical of late renaissance music, is employed by Gabrieli. "Miserere mei", for instance, is often set with suspensions and dissonances resolving into consonance, a sonic metaphor for mercy granted. "Sana animam meam", on the other hand, features smoother, stepwise motion, evoking healing and restoration. At key textual moments (especially invocations of the Lord’s name) are underlined by full, chordal writing. We find some rhythmic contrast between flowing semibreves for solemnity and quicker note values for urgency in the plea. Overall the piece shows Gabrieli’s ability to balance penitential gravity with luminous hope, a hallmark of late Renaissance Venetian music.
[Activate subtitles to see the lyrics in Latin/English].
Picture: "Two Apostles" by Italian painter Tintoretto.
Musical analysis written by myself alongside use of Copilot AI (GPT-5). Source: tinyurl.com/28vdnjlk
To check the score: tinyurl.com/2cmdsyvs
La Guilde des Mercenaires Ensemble conducted by Adrien Mabire.
I - 0:00
Gabrieli's "Ego dixi, Domine" 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 seven voices a cappella (Two cantus, Altus, Quintus, Sextus, Tenor and Bassus). The text is taken from multiple sources, all of them sacred; Psalm 40:5, Psalm 89:13 and the Te Deum.
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 work is mostly contrapuntal setting of the text (most often imitative in nature), with brief unison passages in between. Some light word-painting, very typical of late renaissance music, is employed by Gabrieli. "Miserere mei", for instance, is often set with suspensions and dissonances resolving into consonance, a sonic metaphor for mercy granted. "Sana animam meam", on the other hand, features smoother, stepwise motion, evoking healing and restoration. At key textual moments (especially invocations of the Lord’s name) are underlined by full, chordal writing. We find some rhythmic contrast between flowing semibreves for solemnity and quicker note values for urgency in the plea. Overall the piece shows Gabrieli’s ability to balance penitential gravity with luminous hope, a hallmark of late Renaissance Venetian music.
[Activate subtitles to see the lyrics in Latin/English].
Picture: "Two Apostles" by Italian painter Tintoretto.
Musical analysis written by myself alongside use of Copilot AI (GPT-5). Source: tinyurl.com/28vdnjlk
To check the score: tinyurl.com/2cmdsyvs
