Claudio Monteverdi - Tirsi E Clori - I. Allegro tutti

Tirsi e Clori, SV 145 Tirsi e Clori is part of the seventh book of madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi, published in 1619 in Venezia by Bartolomeo Magni, and dedicated to Caterina de Medici. Monteverdi chose to title these pieces as concertos, a somewhat ambivalent term, as this book is a clear break with his earlier publications: here the madrigal is transformed or, perhaps, it would be better to say it has vanished, at least in the form that would have been recognised up to that point. Of 32 compositions there is not a single fivevoice madrigal, only pieces for one to four voices, all with basso continuo, some with violins, along with works that might be called ‘experimental’. The Tirsi e Clori actually acts as a mini-ballet that Monteverdi revised for inclusion in his seventh book of madrigals by reducing it from eight parts to five. Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer. Monteverdi’s work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. Monteverdi wrote one of the earliest operas, L’Orfeo, an innovative work that is still regularly performed. He was recognized as an innovative composer and enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime.