Monteverdi, Giulio Cesare
Monteverdi, Giulio Cesare
Monteverdi, Giulio Cesare, Italian organist, composer, and writer on music, brother of Claudio (Giovanni Antonio) Monteverdi; b. Cremona (baptized), Jan. 31, 1573; d. Salo, Lake Garda, during the plague of 1630–31. In 1602 he entered the service of the Duke of Mantua, where his famous brother was maestro di cappella. He composed the music for the 4th intermedio in Guarini’s play L’Idropica, which was performed for the wedding celebration of the Mantuan heirapparent, Francesco Gonzaga, and Margaret of Savoy in 1608. His opera II rapimento di Proserpina was given in Casale Monferrato in 1611. In 1620 he was named maestro di cappella of the Cathedral in Salo. He publ. a collection of 25 motets under the title Affetti musici, ne quali si contengono motetti a 1-4 et 6 voci, per concertarli nel basso per l’organo (Venice, 1620). A madrigal for 3 Voices and Continuo (1605) and 2 pieces in his brother’s Scherzi musicali (Venice, 1607) are extant. He contributed to the collection Scherzi musicali an important Dichiaratione, in which he expounded at length the musical ideas of his brother and gave a vigorous reply to the attacks on Monteverdi by Artusi; an Eng. tr. is found in O. Strunk, Source Readings in Music History (N.Y., 1950).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire