Claudio Monteverdi

1567–1643

An Italian composer whose madrigals, sacred works, and operas helped shape the transition from Renaissance polyphony to Baroque musical drama.

c. 1600–1650 · Early Baroque

Musical context

Early Baroque · c. 1600–1650

Around 1600, Italian musicians explored solo song and musical drama partly through efforts to recover the expressive power they associated with ancient Greek theater. Monteverdi and his contemporaries developed opera and text-centered composition alongside continuing Renaissance polyphony. Courts and churches sponsored these experiments, and the opening of public opera houses in Venice in 1637 broadened the audience for musical drama. Explore the era →

Related glossary terms

Concertato style Doctrine of affections Musical rhetoric Recitative

Pieces

No pieces by Claudio Monteverdi have been added to the catalog yet.