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Inmusic history, theVenetian School was the body and work of composers working inVenice from about 1550 to around 1610, many working in theVenetian polychoral style. The Venetianpolychoral compositions of the late sixteenth century were among the most famous musical works in Europe, and their influence on musical practice in other countries was enormous. The innovations introduced by the Venetian school, along with the contemporary development ofmonody andopera inFlorence, together define the end of the musicalRenaissance and the beginning of the musicalBaroque.
Several major factors came together to create the Venetian School. The first was political: after the death ofPope Leo X in 1521 and theSack of Rome in 1527, the long dominant musical establishment in Rome was eclipsed: many musicians either moved elsewhere or chose not to go to Rome, and Venice was one of several places to have an environment conducive to creativity.[1]
Another factor, possibly the most important, was the existence of the splendidSt Mark's Basilica, with its unique interior with opposing choir lofts. Because of the spacious architecture of this basilica, it was necessary to develop a musical style which exploited the sound-delay to advantage, rather than fight against it: thus theVenetian polychoral style was developed, the grand antiphonal style in which groups of singers and instruments played sometimes in opposition, and sometimes together, united by the sound of the organ. The first composer to make this effect famous wasAdrian Willaert, who becamemaestro di cappella of St. Mark's in 1527, and remained in the position until his death in 1562.Gioseffo Zarlino, one of the most influential writers on music of the age, called Willaert "the newPythagoras", and Willaert's influence was profound, not only as a composer but as a teacher, since most of the Venetians who followed studied with him.
Yet another factor which promoted the rich period of musical creativity wasprinting. In the early 16th century, Venice, prosperous and stable, had become an important center of music publishing; composers came from all parts of Europe to benefit from the new technology, which then was only a few decades old. Composers from northern Europe—especiallyFlanders andFrance—were already renowned as the most skilled composers in Europe, and many of them came to Venice. The international flavor of musical society in the city was to linger into the 17th century.
In the 1560s, two distinct groups developed within the Venetian school: a progressive group led byBaldassare Donato, and a conservative group led by Zarlino, who was thenmaestro di cappella. Friction between the two groups came to a head in 1569 with a dramatic, public conflict between Donato and Zarlino during theFeast of Saint Mark. Members of the conservative branch tended to follow the style ofFranco-Flemish polyphony, and includedCipriano de Rore, Zarlino, andClaudio Merulo; members of the progressive group included Donato,Giovanni Croce, and laterAndrea andGiovanni Gabrieli. An additional point of contention between the two groups was whether or not Venetians—or at least Italians—should be given the top job ofmaestro di cappella at St. Mark's. Eventually the group favoring local talent prevailed, ending the dominance of foreign musicians in Venice; in 1603, Giovanni Croce was appointed to the job, followed byGiulio Cesare Martinengo in 1609.
The peak of development of the Venetian School was in the 1580s, when Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli composed enormous works for multiple choirs, groups of brass, string instruments and organ. These works are the first to includedynamics, and are among the first to include specific instructions for ensembleinstrumentation. Organists working at the same time included Claudio Merulo andGirolamo Diruta; they began to define an instrumental style and technique which moved to northern Europe in the succeeding generations, culminating in the works ofSweelinck,Buxtehude, and eventuallyJ.S. Bach.
The termVenetian School is sometimes used to distinguish it from the contemporary, and usually more musically conservative,Roman School. Other important centers of musical activity in Italy at the same time includedFlorence (the birthplace of opera),Ferrara,Naples,Padua,Mantua, andMilan.
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Major members of the Venetian school include:
