Born in 1556, Giovanni Gabrieli was an Italian composer who worked for the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice. During his time there, he composed works for separate choirs for both vocal and instrumental artists. One of his most famous pieces comes from the Sacrae Symphoniae completed in 1597; the Sonata Pian e Forte. Gabrieli was both a composer and organist in the Renaissance and Baroque transition periods, which meant that elements of both periods were demonstrated in his compositions. With instrumental music becoming more and more popular, it was becoming quite common in this period to have a composer also play an instrument, particularly the piano or organ. Sonata Pian e Forte became famous because it was a work that demonstrated some characteristics and ideas about sound that had not yet been seen or often used. “Sonata” in this period referred to instrumental music while “pian” means soft and “forte” means strong. The title of the work indicates that it is an instrumental work that features soft and strong sections. Gabrieli's composition is special because it is the first to show dynamic signs in an ensemble context. Some sources will say that it is the first piece to portray dynamics in general, but other sources provide evidence that dynamic signs appear in solo literature composed decades earlier. “A deeper knowledge of music shows that they [the dynamics] also have an emotional function, for they occur so irregularly that the listener is never sure whether he will be overwhelmed by the sound, or when he will have to listen for some time. more subdued phrase.” Gabrieli believed that dynamics could help portray or alter the audience's perception of a musical pattern towards a particular mood. In Sonata Pian and Forte, there are two if...... half of the paper ......excels. "G. Gabrieli Sonata Pian'e Forte.” 6 June 2012. Accessed 24 April 2014.http://www.edexcel.com/migrationdocuments/GCE%20New%20GCE/Unit-6-14-G-Gabrieli.pdf.Gabrieli, Giovanni. Sacrae Symphoniae: Sonata Pian e Forte . London: Brass Wind Publications, 1996. M886.G119 S13Gabrieli, Giovanni. Sacrae Symphoniae: Sonata Pian e Forte, Simon Wright and the Simone Wright Collection. naxosmusiclibrary.com.Harman, Alec and Anthony Milner. Late Renaissance and Baroque Music. London: Barrie Books LTD., 1959. ML193.H37Schulenberg, David. Music of the Baroque .2Britannica Footnote:Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, sv “Giovanni Gabrieli”, accessed 4 May 2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/223235/ Giovanni Gabrieli.