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Claudio Monteverdi's opera "L'Orfeo" premieres in Mantua, the oldest opera still regularly performed

The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) wrote several works for the stage between 1604 and 1643, including ten in the then-emerging opera genre.

The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) wrote several works for the stage between 1604 and 1643, including ten in the then-emerging opera genre. Of these, both the music and libretto for three are extant: L'Orfeo (1607), Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (1640) and L'incoronazione di Poppea (1643). Seven other opera projects are known; four were completed and performed during Monteverdi's lifetime, while he abandoned another three at some point. The libretto has survived for some of these lost operas.

The opera genre emerged during Monteverdi's earlier career, first as courtly entertainment trying to revive Greek theatre. The first known work to be regarded as an opera in the modern sense is Dafne (1598) by Jacopo Peri, and his Euridice (1600) is the earliest surviving one.

Historical Significance

The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) wrote several works for the stage between 1604 and 1643, including ten in the then-emerging opera genre.

Events Before

  1. First known European landing in Australia by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon at the Pennefather River, Cape York, northe

    First known European landing in Australia by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon at the Pennefather River, Cape York, northern Australia

  2. Mughal prince Khusrav, son of Emperor Jahangir, begins a rebellion against his father, put down a few weeks later with t

    Mughal prince Khusrav, son of Emperor Jahangir, begins a rebellion against his father, put down a few weeks later with the prince blinded as punishment

  3. England adopts the Union Flag, replaced in 1801 by current Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack

    The Union Jack or Union Flag is the national flag of the United Kingdom. The flag consists of the red cross of Saint George (the patron saint of England), edged in white, superimposed on the red...

  4. Spanish Queirós Expedition are the first Europeans to discover Espíritu Santo, Vanuatu - although they think they have d

    Spanish Queirós Expedition are the first Europeans to discover Espíritu Santo, Vanuatu - although they think they have discovered Terra Australis (southern continent) [1]

  5. 2,000 foreigners murdered in Russia

    2,000 foreigners murdered in Russia

Events After

  1. English traveller Robert Shirley marries Iranian noblewoman Teresa Sampsonia at the Safavid royal court

    Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across...

  2. Reynier van Oldenbarnevelt marries Anna Weytzen in Delft

    Reynier van Oldenbarnevelt marries Anna Weytzen in Delft

  3. Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia

    This is a timeline of events related to the establishment of Jamestown, which today is located the U.S. state of Virginia.

  4. Susenyos is formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia

    Susenyos I (Ge'ez: ሱስንዮስ Sūsinyōs; c. 1571–1575 – 17 September 1632), also known as Susenyos the Catholic, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1607 to 1632, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty.

  5. Dutch trading ship arrives at the kingdom of Loango (modern Congo) to acquire ivory, their king requests audience with V

    Dutch trading ship arrives at the kingdom of Loango (modern Congo) to acquire ivory, their king requests audience with VOC official Pieter van den Broecke [1]

More from the 1600s

Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year.

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is pub

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid

English traveller Robert Shirley marries Iranian noblewoman Teresa Sampsonia at the Safavid royal court

Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across...

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster comma

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster commanding the "Red Dragon"; the journey lasts nearly 16 months

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 24, 1607?
The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) wrote several works for the stage between 1604 and 1643, including ten in the then-emerging opera genre. Of these, both the music and libretto for three are extant: L'Orfeo (1607), Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (1640) and L'incoronazione di Poppea (1643). Seven other opera projects are known; four were completed and performed during Monteverdi's lifetime, while he abandoned another three at some point.
Why is Claudio Monteverdi's opera "L'Orfeo" premieres in Mantua, the oldest opera st... significant?
The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) wrote several works for the stage between 1604 and 1643, including ten in the then-emerging opera genre.

Explore More

February 24 in HistoryYear 1607