Claudio Monteverdi

For Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, writing music was not a means to make a living--rather, he lived for the opportunity to make music. At a young age he grew an impressive musical understanding as part of a choir and soon after, he was composing classical sonnets and modest Baroque orchestrations. It quickly became apparent that he was extremely gifted and a world of experimental musical possibilities opened up when he wrote full length pieces that pushed the public's understanding of what was possible within musical boundaries. Monteverdi's contributions to music helped push the form into its next evolution of the Baroque era.