Claudio Monteverdi's Fifth Madrigal Book represents the musical innovation for which the composer was known. The Fifth Madigral Book is a dramatic madrigal, part drama and part musical performance. Monteverdi's compositions generated considerable artistic and literary comment, and the Fifth Book was no exception. Although derided by traditionalists, the Fifth Madrigal Book was received enthusiasticly by Monteverdi's public and his colleagues who valued its harmony and dramatic expression.
Monteverdi's 5th Madigral Book was written when the composer was employed in the court of Vincenzo (I) Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. Monteverdi's original position in court was a string player; he first arrived in Mantua around the age of 22. The precise year of his employment is unknown, but by January 1590, Monteverdi's dedication of his Second Book of Madrigals refers to his rise to favor in court: "that day, Most Serene Prince, when to my rare good fortune I came to serve Your Highness . . . with the most noble practice of the viola which opened the fortunate gate of your service." In Monteverdi's letters, the composer recalls having spent between 19 and 22 continuous years at court. Duke Vincenzo was a true patron of the arts. His fervent desire was to establish his court's preeminence in all things artistic, and toward this end, Vincenzo recruited prominent architects, artists, and musicians. As one visitor to the city described the environs: "For its wealth of many beautiful and great palaces, the city is most pleasant, and particularly for its spacious streets which are long and wondrously straight." The duke's deceased father, Guglielmo Gonzaga was both a poet and musician, and had even published his own sacred and secular music. Thus the young Monteverdi found himself in the midst of several Mantuan institutions that were devoted to musical composition and performance. These institutions included the capella of the cathedral...