Claudio Monteverdi was born in Cremona, Italy, though his career developed mainly in

Mantua (in the Gonzaga court) and in Venice. Out of all of his career achievements,
Monteverdi’s contributions to the then-new genre, opera, are what people perceive to be the most
pertinent of his accolades today. His first opera was Orfeo, performed in 1607, and this proved
Monteverdi’s unique understanding of this genre – opera. One of the unique qualities of
melodrama, at the time, was its link between musicality and dramatic text. Although we see this
often in modern theatre and dramas, recitar cantando (“acting by singing”) was a relatively
novel innovation in this time period. Additionally, the aria of opera – which often showcases a
singer’s vocal talents, as well as emoting a climactic moment to the audience – was one of
Monteverdi’s foci. Monteverdi often took full advantage of music’s potential to communicate
specific emotions to the audience – he utilized dissonance, climaxes, and the singers’ abilities to
craft unified and dramatic performances.
For at least a portion of Claudio Monteverdi’s life, it seems that he was forcibly required
to continue his work at the Mantua court, no matter the conditions of his life. For instance, when
Monteverdi’s wife passed away, Monteverdi sought to seek refuge at his father’s home in
Cremona, allowing himself time to grieve. However, before long, he unwillingly returned to
Mantua to compose a new opera. After this opera was produced, Monteverdi, again, traveled to
Cremona, but unfortunately, was summoned to Mantua once more. While Monteverdi initially
refused them, he eventually returned. At this point, Monteverdi did not feel appreciated or
compensated fairly by the Gonzaga court. While he maintained his creativity through this state of
depression, it was clear Monteverdi wished to work elsewhere.
In the next stage of Claudio Monteverdi’s life, Monteverdi resided in Venice. Having
been appointed to the St. Marks basilica in Venice, after the maestro di cappella, aka the director
of music of the basilica passed away, Monteverdi began enlivening the music for the basilica.
Comparatively, Monteverdi enjoyed Venice much more than he did Mantua. While Monteverdi
maintained connections with Mantua – because opera was less likely to be produced in Venice –
he felt honored and appreciated in Venice.
In Venice, Claudio Monteverdi became more and more interested in human emotion –
how we express it, mood shifts, and more. While the older form of opera had rooted itself in
nonrealistic depictions of humanity, Monteverdi wanted to expand the horizon of such
productions. Influenced by Plato, Monteverdi created three categories of emotion – “love, war,
and calmness.” Each one of these sentiments came with a musical component. As Monteverdi’s
career proceeded, he displayed a noticeable acceptance and appreciation for realism. Musically,
he mimicked sounds of nature, and the content of the operas themselves offer a window into
realistic humans’ lives. Some of Monteverdi’s later operas – The Return of Ulysses to his
Country and The Coronation – could even be considered the first modern operas, although they
contain elements of the Renaissance intermezzo and pastoral.