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Italian composer, string player, and choirmaster who pioneered the transition from Renaissance to Baroque musicMonteverdi served at the court of Mantua (1590–1613) before becoming maestro di cappella at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice (1613–1643). He composed nine books of madrigals, operas including the groundbreaking L'Orfeo (1607), and sacred works like the Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610). His innovations in harmonic language and dramatic expression established him as the first great opera composer.

• His opera L'Orfeo (1607) is considered the first masterpiece in operatic history, featuring unprecedented orchestration with over 40 instruments.
• Faced personal tragedies including the death of his wife Claudia (1607) and dismissal from Mantua after Duke Vincenzo I's death, leaving him unemployed with two young sons.
• Survived the bubonic plague in Venice (1630) that killed one-third of the city's population, later composing the Selva morale e spirituale (1641) as a response.
• Became a Catholic priest in 1632 yet continued composing secular music, defying expectations of the era.
• Died from complications after medical treatment during a visit to Cremona; his tomb was lost during Venice's 19th-century reconstruction.