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How did Giovanni Gabrieli use the word symphonia in Sacrae symphoniae?
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symphony
Symphony performing a concert at Svetlanov Hall, Moscow International House of Music.
In the context of his Sacrae symphoniae (published in 1597 and 1615), the Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli used the term symphonia to denote collections of elaborate vocal music and instrumental music.1
During this period, the term served as a general indicator for ensemble music, whether performed by instruments, voices, or a combination of both. Gabrieli’s works in these collections frequently utilized the concertato style, which involved the interaction of multiple choirs and various combinations of singers and instrumentalists to create novel antiphonal effects.12