Claudio Monteverdi is one of the most important figures of 'early' music, a composer whose music speaks powerfully and directly to modern audiences. This book, first published in 2007, provides an authoritative treatment of Monteverdi and his music, complementing Paolo Fabbri's standard biography of the composer. Written by leading specialists in the field, it is aimed at students, performers and music-lovers in general and adds significantly to our understanding of Monteverdi's music, his life, and the contexts in which he worked. Chapters offering overviews of his output of sacred, secular and dramatic music are complemented by 'intermedi', in which contributors examine individual works, or sections of works in detail. The book draws extensively on Monteverdi's letters and includes a select discography/videography and a complete list of Monteverdi's works together with an index of first lines and titles. "One can hardly imagine a more satisfactory book dealing with the life, works, and cultural environment of Montverdi, a composer whose genius is now properly celebrated in both print and performance. In contrast to stitched-together collections of essays written in ghastly prose full of unreadable jargon, this is the real thing. The contributors are the right one, experts all; their writing is clear and pleasing...the topics are well chosen; and the essays are rich in detail--the whole is the very model of how to present the best contemporary scholarship to a wide audience. ...All will delight in chapters that illuminate late Renaissance/early Baroque musical life and cultures while integrating an understanding of what "culture" meant then (and now) and discussing Monteverdi's life and works. Particularly fascinating are the chapters on 'spaces for music in late Renaissance Mangua,' 'Monteverdi in performance' (historically and recently), and 'Monteverdi studies and 'new' musicologies.' --Choice "Readers of The Opera Journal might well find the Cambridge Companion to Monteverdi most directly useful for its chapters on the composer's operas and for its treatment of other dramatic works by the composer." --The Opera Journal A contributory volume, first published in 2007, providing extensive treatment of Monteverdi, his music and his life. John Whenham is Professor of Music History and Head of the Department of Music, University of Birmingham. Richard Wistreich is Senior Lecturer and Head of Performance at the International Centre for Music Studies, Newcastle University. Used Book in Good Condition