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Italian composer, singer, instrumentalist, and teacher, a pivotal figure in the early Baroque period and the Florentine Camerata. Born in Rome around 1551, Giulio Caccini moved to Florence as a youth under the patronage of Cosimo I de' Medici. He became a prominent singer and instrumentalist (lute, viol, harp) at the Medici court. A member of the Florentine Camerata, he was instrumental in developing monody (expressive solo song with simple accompaniment) and the new recitative style, aiming to revive ancient Greek dramatic ideals. His collection 'Le nuove musiche' (1602) is a landmark publication of monodies and madrigals, codifying the new Baroque vocal style and performance practice (including early use of ornamentation like the 'trillo' and 'cascata'). He composed the opera 'Euridice' (1600), one of the earliest surviving operas, premiered shortly after Jacopo Peri's setting of the same libretto. He taught singing extensively, counting his wives and daughters among his pupils. He died in Florence on December 10, 1618.

• Caccini's opera 'Euridice' was performed in direct competition with Jacopo Peri's setting of the same libretto by Rinuccini in 1600. While Peri's premiered first, Caccini rushed to complete his version, leading to significant rivalry. Caccini forbade his singers from performing in Peri's version.
• Caccini had a scandalous affair with the singer Lucia Gagnolanti while still married to his first wife. Lucia eventually became his second wife. Both wives were his pupils.
• He trained his daughters, Francesca and Settimia, to be exceptional singers. Francesca Caccini became one of the most famous and influential female composers and singers of the early 17th century.
• Caccini was known for his intense pride and sometimes difficult personality, evident in his disputes with contemporaries like Peri and his controlling behavior over his music and singers.
• He died in Florence and was buried in the church of Santissima Annunziata.