Not for you, my God! Claudio Monteverdi.

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Not for you, my God! Claudio Monteverdi.

Italian Claudio Monteverdi was a famous composer of the Renaissance period and a classical composer of Italian opera. He worked more than twenty years as a court bandmaster in Mantova. But when his protector, duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga died, Monteverdi fell into disgrace and had to leave for Venice. He was met there with open arms, especially in San-Marco cathedral where the choir was on the decline. Monteverdi lived up for theirs expectations, helping to solve the problem and pull up the choir to the professional level. As Monteverdi started to lead to choir, the musical part of the cathedral masses was at the top-level. Then, the administrators of the cathedral paid him quite a lot.

But it was never enough money, even artists understood that. That was why Monteverdi didn’t disdain from secular music, composing the music for religious masses and leading the cathedral choir at the same time. Rich clients from many other cities constantly addressed him for compositions and Monteverdi never refused if they paid him well, composing operas and madrigals. Naturally such variety of different genres could not but reflect on the whole Monteverdi’s style. Divine motifs that appeared in his operas didn’t trouble anybody but the secular melodies slipping out of his compositions for the cathedral, could cause much trouble.

Monteverdi was lucky to have cheerful people among his visitors in San-Marco cathedral – they liked the music a lot. And the priests kept silent as they were afraid to lose such a talented composer. Moreover, the devout clergyman from other cathedrals often adopted genius Monteverdi’s music, absolutely for free, adding spiritual texts, in order to get a wonderful accompaniment for their masses. That kind of “church business” remained a secret for Claudio Monteverdi for a long time.

But the run of affair could not last forever. Once, as Monteverdi was passing a cathedral on the other side of Venice, he decided to look in and listen for the choir of the cathedral singing. To his great surprise he recognized the familiar features in the musical accompaniment, although he didn’t know the words for the music. Just in a while Monteverdi understood that he was listening to the part of his own opera “L’Arianna”, which one he never meant to be performed for a cathedral.

– Forgive me, my God! – exclaimed Monteverdi. – I’m sorry to say that I composed this music not for you!