Benedetto Ferrari

Ferrari's Andromeda, with music by Francesco Manelli, was the first Venetian opera performed in a public theatre (in 1637).

Subsequently, he provided both the text and the music for two operas, both presented in Venice: La maga fulminata (1638) and Il pastor regio (1640).

The 1641 Bolognese staging of the latter included, as its final duet, the text "Pur ti miro, pur ti godo," which was later reused, possibly with Ferrari's music, for the final duet in the surviving manuscripts of Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea.

Extant works include libretti, an oratorio, and three books of monodies under the title Musiche varie a voce sola (Venice 1633, 1637, 1641).

Though the last were composed within a relatively short time span, they reflect the changing style of accompanied monody, from the emergence of recitar cantando (midway between song and speech) to the vocal style that is typical of mid-17th century opera, with a more distinctive melody and a clearer rhythm.