Monteverdi, Claudio

(15 May 1567, Cremona, Italy – 29 November 1643, Venice)

   Composer whose madrigals and operas established the aesthetic integrity of the early Baroque style in the early 17th century, Monteverdi’s sacred music, consisting of some 145 Latin motets, 17 Italian madrigali spirituali, three masses, and the Vespers of 1610, has received less attention despite its superb quality only because the musical culture of Europe in general was moving away from sacred music. It was published chiefly in three collections: the 1610 print containing the Vespers, the Missa In illo tempore, and the Magnificat for six voices; the large collection Selva Morale e {}Spirituale of 1641; and a posthumous collection of 1650, as well as in anthologies that appeared throughout his professional career. Many of the motets exploit the monodic and concertante idioms of opera, and are thus typical of early Baroque trends in Italian and German sacred music. At the same time, Monteverdi seemed anxious to show that he also commanded the stile antico approved by the Council of Trent. All three masses are exemplars, and along with the {}Missa In illo tempore he took the trouble to print separately the 10 subjects of Nicholas Gombert’s motet parodied in his own music. The Vespers of 1610 is unique in 17th-century sacred music because it synthesizes all available idioms sacred and secular in a single monumental composition.

   Because he had to provide new music for important festivals during his long tenure (1613–1643) as maestro di capella at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, it is thought that much of his sacred music must be lost.