Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player, and a crucial figure between the Renaissance and Baroque. A pioneer of opera and of the expressive seconda pratica, he left madrigals, major sacred works and three surviving operas still central to the repertory.
Born in Cremona, he made his career at the Mantuan court and then as maestro di cappella at San Marco in Venice. His sacred music runs from intimate motets to the monumental Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610; nine books of madrigals chart the shift from Renaissance polyphony toward basso continuo and freer melody.
Of his stage works, L'Orfeo is the earliest opera still widely performed, joined later by Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and L'incoronazione di Poppea. Much else is lost. On Move his voice is heard in Australian choral programmes through festive pieces such as Beatus vir and Cantate Domino.
Compositions by Claudio Monteverdi appear on
Beatus Vir
Recorded live on their 1999 European tour, the Choir of Ormond College under Douglas Lawrence presents small-scale sacred works in up to eight parts by Palestrina, Gesualdo, Handl, Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Stanford and Rheinberger.
Soul
Douglas Lawrence OAM leads the Australian Chamber Choir through sacred music spanning Renaissance polyphony, early Baroque splendour and African-American spirituals.