On
November 21, 1615, Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi sent the score of a new
choral work to a friend at the court of the Duke of Mantua, hoping that the friend
would perform the music and that Duke would be inspired to commission more –
and larger – works. In a letter that accompanied the score, Monteverdi gave
detailed instructions as to the positioning of the vocal and instrumental
musicians, and added, “If you could let the singers and players see it for an
hour before His Highness hears it, it would be a very good thing indeed.”
Thanks
to Composer’s Datebook