Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi was born in Cremona, Italy. His actual birth date is unknown, but church records show that he was baptized on May 15,567. He played a major role in the development and perfectoin of early baroque music. He composed eight books of mardigals, the first five of which seperated him from other composers of the time. In 1607 he produced his first work in the new genre of opera, _L'Orfeo_. In 1613, he was appointed maestro di cappella at St. Mark's in Venice. He remained in Venice for the rest of his life, writing music in all genres, including his…