Contribution of Claudio Monteverdi to music Research Paper

Contribution of Claudio Monteverdi to music - Research Paper Example As a teen, writing music in different new styles was his passion. As there was no credible record linking him to the cathedral choir, the music lessons could be deemed as privately acquired. The first music that he produced was some few motets and the sacred madrigals between 1582 and 1583; it had to do with child prodigy. In the year 1587, he published his first book that dealt with secular madrigals, and shortly began to look for work away from his native town. He then worked for Vincenzo I in Mantua, in the capacity of a maestro di Capella from 1591, until his dismissal in 1612. Later on, he took a more coveted post on the land of Peninsula as maestro di Capella at St. Mark's in Venice, until his death in November 29, 1643 (Monteverdi, 2011). According to Wistreich (2011), Claudio contributed a lot to the field of music. As an Italian composer in the late Renaissance era, he was the most significant producer of the then new genre, the opera. He was also instrumental in the church music by introducing a â€Å"modern† secular spirit. He is among the key figures that shaped the music history as his works majorly marked the new era of music. His substantial contribution included the introduction and also the defense of seconda practica. This was the new composing style that made the text superior over that the music motivation contrary to the Renaissance prima practica. In the prior era, the music dominated the words. This was instrumental in bringing about a new dramatic style to be employed in Baroque era. His key achievement was in his appealing expression to the human psychology. The early madrigals that he produced can also be viewed as studies of emotions that are more diverse and superior. Taking a closer look at Monteverdi's significant contribution to music in the music industry, a close study of all his nine books of Madrigals can be done. L’Orfeo became the first to display the potential of the then novel genre while his second work, Lâ €™Arianna may be viewed as that which sustained his survival (Wistreich, 2011). Monteverdi’s work is a significant mark in the transition from the Renaissance to Baroque music. Monteverdi acts as a bridge of the Renaissance and the Baroque. He combined both the secular and sacred styles to give one work. He also expanded the Renaissance polyphony and further advanced it towards the counterpoint used in the Baroque era. During his entire life, he produced work that could be classified in both the categories, and he was among the key figures that brought the most critical revolution in the style. Monteverdi also produced one of the first grammatical opera, Orfeo, in the year 1607, and was lucky to be famous throughout his entire lifetime. This opera assisted Monteverdi to create a totally new music style, the dramma per musica (Beaussant, 2003). According to Wistreich (2011), Monteverdi also produced singing forms that are quite critical part of the opera today; these inclu de the chorus, the recitative, the arioso, and the aria. Monteverdi is also the first composer to allocate unique instruments to parts. He became a priest and his dedication to religious music did not stop as he still wrote operas, including his best known, historical L'incoronazione di Poppea. His successors further developed real character roles which significantly paved the way for new styles. It can be argued that his greatest creation remains that of the Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, in 1610. This work is one of his few sacred works done on any scale, but up to this day remains one of the outstanding examples of devotional music that can be compared to other works such as those of Handel's