This Italian singer, lutenist, harpist and violist often performed in the court of the Medici. Giulio was considered to be the inventor of the "stile recitativo" (recitative style). This being the case, Caccini had a profound effect on the role of vocal music and the development of opera, oratorio, and song. His works included four pieces for stage (three operas one of which was "Euridice"), and a corpus of songs. The aims which he achieved were to make music that had the power of moving the soul and the senses. "Le nuove musiche" (the new music) was a series of essays by Caccini in which he directed singers how to perform in the new style. He wrote out the ornamentation so that it would be incorporated into the piece of music. This was daringly innovative and required that the music be written exactly as it is supposed to be sung. Perhaps his most famous song was "Amarilli". It is still used in vocal repertoires and recitals. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi
