What was more, his relations with Duke Francesco, whose opinions were followed throughout the illustrious household but who lacked the artistic intuition of his father, Duke Vincenzo, were becoming more and more fraught.

The new year seemed unpromising until Monteverdi conceived the idea of starting afresh in a more congenial environment, with the hope of creating a life more in keeping with his ambitions as a composer.

He determined to try his luck in Rome and to address himself directly to the Pope. To this end he published a six-voice Missa da Cappella in prima prattica polyphonic style, as well as the Vespro della Beata Vergine, both of which he dedicated to Pope Paul V.

The old-fashioned Mass was a mere pretext, however, and the more important work was the Vespers, which was made up of a number of elements: vesper psalms (for from six to ten voices), concerti sacri (motets for one or more soloists and the sacris concentibus mentioned in the title), an eight-voice Sonata based on a Gregorian cantus firmus, an eight-voice Hymn and a seven-voice Magnificat (with an alternative six-voice Magnificat included for use in smaller chapels). The entire work contains a profusion of colourful music and an instrumental ensemble which is varied to match the mood of each piece.

Opinions differ on the work’s origin. A true monument of both faith and music, it introduced the modern stile nuovo into the church setting. If Monteverdi’s relations with the Gonzagas had not deteriorated, the work might perhaps never have been written. But was it indeed written specially for Pope Paul V, or could it have been composed at an earlier date and performed in Mantua at St Barbara’s, as distinct from the ducal chapel? Whatever the answer may be, it will always remain secondary to the work itself, which Monteverdi set out to present to the Pope as soon as it was published, at the end of the summer of 1610.

The composer hoped to accomplish two things on his journey to Rome: firstly to secure an appointment for himself as maestro di cappella (or a position of equal importance) at St Peter’s or in the service of a music-loving cardinal, and secondly to obtain a bursary that would enable his eldest son, Francesco, to study at the seminary in Rome with the view of becoming a priest.

The journey unfortunately produced neither of these results, and Monteverdi’s hopes came to naught. The work’s dedication to the Pope was accepted more for the stylistic conventions of the Mass than for the daring novelty of the Vespers, which contained elements that may well have disconcerted the highly conservative Roman curia. No appointment was given to Monteverdi, and his son failed to obtain a bursary.