Sonata pian' e forte
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Sonata pian' e forte was composed by Italian composer and organist Giovanni Gabrieli and published in 1597.[1] This is one of the earliest known pieces of music to specify loud and quiet passages in print.[2][3] (The distinction of being the first belongs to Adriano Banchieri's "Canzon undecima 'In echo' (L'organistina bella)" in 1596).[4][citation needed]
The title Sonata pian’e forte refers to an instrumental piece that uses soft and loud dynamics. The piece is an example of the Venetian polychoral style, which developed in sixteenth-century northern Italy, and found particular favor at St Mark's Basilica due to architectural features of the interior.[clarification needed] The term "sonata" at this time in Baroque music referred specifically to a work originally conceived for instruments, as opposed to those based on vocal works. It was most probably intended for a Catholic service at either St Mark's, Venice, or the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. It was written for eight instruments divided into two groups of four players, spatially separated: cornetto, 3 sackbuts (group 1); viola, 3 sackbuts (group 2).
