Sonata pian' e forte was written by Giovanni Gabrieli, an Italian composer and organist in 1597.
Description
“Sonata pian’e forte” means an instrumental piece using soft and loud dynamics. A more technical definition of this is a Venetian polychoral style which arose from architectural peculiarities with regards to St Mark's Basilica. Sonata (at this time) means a piece for instruments. It was probably written to be played as part of a Catholic service at St Mark's, Venice. It was written for 8 instruments divided into 2 groups of 4 and placed in opposing galleries in the cathedral.
References
Sonata pian' e forte Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA