Born:
May 15, 1567; Cremona, Italy
Died:
November 29, 1643; Venice, Italy
Nationality:
Italian
Occupation:
Composer
Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian
composer born on May 15, 1567 and died on November 29, 1643. Monteverdi, a
composer of both secular and sacred music and a pioneer in the development of
opera, is considered an important transitional figure between the Renaissance
and Baroque periods in music history.
Born in Cremona, where he first
studied music, Monteverdi made his first musical career at the court of Mantua
from 1590 to 1613, and then served as the maestro di cappella at the basilica
of San Marco in the Republic of Venice until his death. The surviving letters
he wrote plays a big role in understanding his life at the time.
The basilica of San Marco, Venice
Currently, most of Monteverdi's
works has been lost, including many stage works. His surviving works include
nine books of madrigals, large-scale religious works such as “Vespro della Beata
Vergine (1610)” and three complete operas. His opera, "L'Orfeo
(1607)," is his first opera to be still widely performed today, and at the
end of his life he wrote works for Venice, including “Il ritorno d'Ulisse in
patria” and “L'incoronazione di Poppea”.
L'Orfeo
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
L'incoronazione di Poppea
He made great developments in form and
melody, while working extensively in the tradition of earlier Renaissance
polyphony, as evidenced in his madrigals, and began to employ the basso
continuo technique, distinctive of the Baroque.
Monteverdi's tomb
Almost forgotten during the
18th and much of the 19th centuries, his works were rediscovered around the
early 20th century. Monteverdi has now been established both as one of the
significant influences in European musical history and as a composer who wrote
works that are regularly performed and recorded.
Thank you.
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