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Donald Macleod looks at five themes in Claudio Monteverdi's life through the letters he wrote.

Claudio Monteverdi’s compositions range from the secular to the sacred. He is a composer whose work spans the Renaissance and Baroque periods of musical history, and is known as a pioneer of the development of opera in Italy throughout the early 17th century. Throughout the week, Donald looks at five themes in Monteverdi’s life through the letters he wrote. Using Denis Stevens’ translations from the 1970s, we look at the excuses given by Monteverdi – a perpetually busy man – for not finishing compositions on time, the politics and hierarchy of life in the Italian Courts and Church, the financial struggles faced by Monteverdi, the illnesses that plagued his life and the lives of his close family and the importance of his family throughout his life.

Across the episode, we’ll hear stories of Monteverdi’s penchant for procrastination, his revered opinions of singers, many financial struggles, tempestuous heath and the lengths he went to in order to support his family.

Music featured:
Chiome d’oro
Cantai un tempo, & se fu dolc’il canto
L’Orfeo: Prologue and Act I
Dixit Dominus
Lamento d’Arianna a voce sola
Cantate Domino
Dominus vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo
Con che soavità
L’Incoronazione di Poppea: Act II: Amici, è giunta l’hora
Ballo delle ingrate
‘Batto’, qui pianse Ergasto
L’incoronazione di Poppea: Prologue and Act I:
Lamento d’Arianna a 5
Adoramus te
Zefiro torna
Quel sguardo sdegnosetto
L’Orfeo: Toccata
Lamento della Ninfa
Missa In illo tempore
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria: Act V: O dolor, o martir
L’incoronazione di Poppea: Act III: Pur ti miro
Damigella tutta bella
L’Orfeo: Act V: Extracts
Tirsi e Clori
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria: Act I
Magnificat a 7

Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Eleri Llian Rees for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales

For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Claudio Monteverdi
/programmes/m000ffwm

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z