The Heavens Above

The Heavens Above was commissioned by the Tuolemne Brass, a San Francisco brass quintet that was active in the 1990s. Mostly recently it was performed by The Western Brass.

My first exposure to the brass ensemble works of Giovanni Gabrieli (ca. 1557–1612) left a deep impression. Gabrieli was a celebrated Venetian composer writing music primarily for the Basilica di San Marco. A great performance space of its time, the design of the cathedral allowed Gabrieli to place performers in opposing balconies (cori spezzati or “divided choirs”). This intentional use of physical space and acoustics dramatized Gabrieli’s style of antiphonal or responsive performance by his choirs, brass and strings. Sometimes he would write for several groups of trombones and cornetts creating sonorities that would oppose or contrast, or join in brilliant resonant unisons.

I find the sound of a brass ensemble very powerful and spiritual. When I first visited the Basilica di San Marco as a teenager, I had no idea of the centuries of composers and musical tradition that established it as one of the music centers of the late Renaissance. A few years later, while studying Gabrielli in a music history course, I connected my experience in Venice with the master, allowing a deeper understanding of his style. The notion of brass music, then for me, has since been one of grandeur and mysticism. The influence of Gabrieli in this piece lies only in memories stored away many years ago.