Giovanni Gabrieli

Many a man will know the terms 'piano' and 'forte' to describe a soft or loud volume. The Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli was the first to ever used these terms in a musical work, around 1600, in his Sonata pian' e forte. Yet, this is not the only accomplishment Gabrieli is known for: he was also one of the first to compose music for multiple choirs, in which a vocal or instrumental ensemble was spread throughout the available space. This especially would have had an impressive effect in the gigantic St Mark's Basilica of Venice.  Due to these innovations, many students, among which Heinrich Schütz, wanted to be taught by Gabrieli. Gabrieli's most seminal work includes his Sacrae symphoniae (1597) and his posthumously published Canzoni et sonate (1615).