Angelus ad pastores ait
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
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Angelus ad pastores ait by Giovanni Gabrieli — Lyrics
About Angelus ad pastores ait
Giovanni Gabrieli was a leading composer of the Venetian school, a master of polychoral and spatial effects. Angelus ad pastores ait is a sacred motet setting a Latin biblical text, which recounts the Annunciation to the Shepherds. The text speaks of the joy of the shepherds upon hearing the angelic news that the Saviour of the world has been born. The music is written for a large, eight-part choir, with the voices divided into two distinct groups (SSAATB and ATBBBB, or SSAATT and TTTBBB), creating opportunities for antiphonal effects and dramatic contrasts, typical of the high-Renaissance and early-Baroque Venetian style.