Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, string player, choirmaster, and priest. He is considered a crucial transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque periods. His surviving music includes nine books of madrigals, large-scale religious works, and three complete operas. His opera L’Orfeo is the earliest of the genre still widely performed.
