Though Monteverdi may have proudly claimed the credit for reinventing the ‘agitated style’ in music, the subject – and lively depiction – of battles had been popular for some time. For instance, from the 1580s we have by Monteverdi’s Venetian forebear . Scored for eight wind instruments, it’s a jaunty affair – all triumphant fanfares rather than the cut and thrust of combat. (The King’s Consort )
