Chamber Music Work of the Day, Installment 13: "Dormiva dolcemente"
by
Giovanni Gabrieli
Reimagined for Double Brass Quartet
(2023)
My reimagining of Giovanni Gabrieli's secular choral masterwork, "Dormiva dolcemente" for mixed double chorus, was created for Holger Bach and his students in the brass chamber music program at the Highschool Thomas-Mann-Schule in Lübeck, Germany. In May of 2023, they were working on my brass quintet composition, "Fanfare, Tango, and Fughetta on Hebrew Themes", and Holger asked if I would conduct a virtual master class with them on the piece, which I did. It was a great experience, both for me and for them, and I look forward to meeting Holger when he visits Boston in the future as he said he would.
As a thank you gift, I created my edition of "Dormiva dolcemente", and sent it to Holger. In it, first the Gabrieli is presented in its original version, followed by my harmonic and melodic reimagining of it. As a composer and arranger, this was actually on my to-do list for years. I first sang this piece in the Cleveland Heights High School Choir, and have been in love with it ever since. So not only did I create a version for double brass quartet, but also a version for double chorus while I was at it!
Follow the next URL to view a scrolling score music video of the brass score for "Dormiva dolcemente" on my YouTube channel.
The sheet music for both versions of "Dormiva dolcemente" is available for licensing from me, and for sale from Sheet Music Plus. Follow the next URL to visit the distributor's product page for the brass version. https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/dormiva-dolcemente-version-for-double-brass-quartet-22533129.html
Thank you for your time and attention.
Stanley M. Hoffman, PhD
Link to my website: https://www.stanleymhoffman.com
Biography Published in Grove Music Online (The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Oxford University Press)
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