L.L. Giovanni Gabrieli - Canzon Duodecimi Toni

This piece by Gabrieli is written for ten horns. It is the eight selection from a larger work called the Sacrae Symphoniae. The piece begins with a stately theme, and then each part imitates it throughout. The theme is not just echoed, but developed and combined with different instrumentation to create the piece. The piece makes the listener feel as if they were part of a royal procession at court.

Gabrieli was born in 1557 in Venice, and died in 1612. He was a great innovator, especially in notating the use of dynamics, instrumentation, and the effects of spaciousness in sound. His style spread all across Europe, carried by his many students, including Heinrich Schutz.