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The University High School Band
The History and Theory of Music

Claudio Monteverdi

1567 - 1643

Claudio Monteverdi's musical career began at the age of 16 with the publication of a book of madrigals. These early compositions were firmly written in the prevailing Renaissance polyphonic style. Monteverdi worked for a time as a court musician and composer for the Duke of Mantua in northern Italy. However, he began to develop a new style of homophonic writing, which drew some criticism for being overly simplistic, but was quite popular. His first opera (the first opera) was L'Orfeo, which told the story of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

After the death of his wife Claudia in 1607, he joined the priesthood and accepted a position as maestro di capella at Saint Mark's Basilica in the Republic of Venice. Although he continued to write madrigals and operas, the rest of his career focused largely on sacred choral music.

Compositions

Ch'io ami la mia vita (Madrigals, Book 1, 1587)

L'Orfeo (1607)

Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (1610)

L'Incoronazione di Poppea (1643)