The younger brother of the more famous musician Claudio, Giulio Cesare Monteverdi nevertheless forged a solid musical career for himself as well. Both brothers (with four other children) were born in Cremona, an important Milanese city with close ties to the Gonzagas' Mantua, Parma of the Farnese, and Venice. Giulio Cesare apparently was a fine organist, playing for the cathedral of Mantua from the age of 17 to 19, after which he sang and composed for the Duke of Mantua himself. In 1608 he composed music for a festal performance of a Guarini drama during a Mantuan court wedding; his promotion to maestro for the choir of Francesco Gonzaga followed. Giulio Cesare's complete opera Il rapimento di Proserpina came out in 1611, part of the birthday celebrations for Gonzaga's wife (its libretto was written by the Mantuan ducal chancellor and ambassador Ercole Marigliani, who also composed texts for Claudio Monteverdi, including the libretto to Andromdea). For reasons unknown, both Claudio and Giulio Cesare were summarily dismissed from Gonzaga service in 1612. The younger brother quickly found a new position as organist at Castelleone. His final career move transpired in 1620, when he was appointed maestro di cappella for Saló Cathedral. He died there, perhaps of the plague, in 1630 or 1631. Both in the philosophy and the practice of music, Giulio Cesare seems to have been quite close to his elder brother. He is best known today for his participation in the Monteverdi/Artusi controversy of the early seventeenth century. Conservative music theorist Giovanni Maria Artusi had published in 1600 and 1603 sharp critiques of certain new harmonic licenses taken by turn-of-the-century composers; among his tragets was an anonymous L'Ottuso Accademico and Claudio Monteverdi. Claudio briefly responded in the published preface to his fifth book of madrigals, but it was Giulio Cesare who penned the most vigorous and most important defense of the so-called secunda prattica. He himself edited his brother's 1607 Scherzi musicali for publication, and took the opportunity to include a lengthy explanation of Claudio's music. He cited Cipriano de Rore's madrigals as the foundation of a new musical style and anchored it in the musical philosophy of Plato. In Giulio Cesare's reading of the ancient Greek philosopher, text (logos) comes before tone (harmonia) and rhythm. His own music, some 25 motets (published 1620), a canzonetta with basso continuo, and two additions to the Scherzi musicali, generally falls within the orbit of Claudio's style.