Music for solo voice, obbligato cornett and basso continuo from the dawn of the Baroque era. The Gonzaga Band demonstrates the new genre of solo song that emerged from Italy in the early 17th century and represented the musical avant-garde of its day, seeking to find a more direct way of expressing the meaning and emotion of secular texts. Music by Monteverdi and his contemporaries including Merula, Rossi, Marini and more.