He studied with Ingegneri, maestro di cappella at Cremona Cathedral, and published several books of motets and madrigals before going to Mantua in about 1591 to serve as a string player at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga.
There he came under the influence of Giaches de Wert, whom he failed to succeed as maestro di cappella in 1596.



In 1599 he married Claudia de Cattaneis, a court singer, who bore him three children, and two years later he was appointed maestro di cappella on Pallavicino's death.



Monteverdi became known as a leading exponent of the modern approach to harmony and text expression.



In 1607 his first opera, Orfeo, was produced in Mantua, followed in 1608 by Arianna.

Disenchanted with Mantua, he then retumed to Cremona, but failed to secure his release from the Gonzaga family until 1612, when Duke Vincenzo died.



The dedication to Pope Paul V of a grand collection of church music known as the Vespers (1610) had already indicated an outwardlooking ambition, and in 1613 Monteverdi was appointed maestro di cappella at St. Mark's, Venice.



There Monteverdi was active in reorganizing and improving the cappella as well as writing music for it, but he was also able to accept commissions from elsewhere, including some from Mantua, for example the ballet Tirsi e Clori (1616) and an opera, La finta pazza Licori (1627, not performed, now lost).



He seems to have been less active after circa 1629, but he was again in demand as an opera composer on the opening of public opera houses in Venice from 1637.

In 1640 Arianna was revived, and in the following two years Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Le nozze d'Enea con Lavinia (lost) and L'incoronazione di Poppea were given first performances.





In 1643 he visited Cremona and died shortly after his retum to Venice.