# Monteverdi Was Undoubtedly Seminal, But Is He An Acquired Taste?



## christomacin (Oct 21, 2017)

I've slowly gotten more and more into his music, although I still don't fully get into Baroque Music until around the mid-1600's (say around the time of Lully onward). My favorite Monteverdi work is probably Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610. Anyway, this might be a good primer for those not familiar with Monteverdi. Feel free to give your thoughts on the importance of Monteverdi and how you think he impacted Western music. Also, feel free to discuss the importance of the opera genre (started in late 16th century Venice) in the development of Western Music.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Acquired taste? Maybe, like just about every composer. I also like his Vespers, very dramatic, the first half. His Madrigals didn’t strike me before, but has grown on me. He is able to make his music sing. A true natural.


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## christomacin (Oct 21, 2017)

I think it's the madrigals that make me feel he is an acquired taste. The madrigals are more of the Renaissance style, more reliant on polyphony than his later, more monophic, operas and such. The combination of madrigals being both in a foreign language and being highly polyphonic probably makes them a bit harder to latch into than later operas. The more melodic and lyric style that came to the fore later on during the Baroque is probably what makes me like Monteverdi less than later Baroque composers. I certainly like him a lot more now than I did in the past.


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2018)

Monteverdi was a phenomenal composer. I love his translucent textures on baroque instruments and his beautiful melody lines. Well, insofar as these textures can be created with varying degrees of authority/authenticity from piecemeal texts, very often.

This non-theatrical work is superb:


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