The Italian composer Pietro Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676), the most outstanding figure in Venetian opera of his day, ushered in the style known as bel canto.

In bel canto, melody is typified by smooth-flowing, sensuous lines, sequential patterns, a slowish tempo, and predominantly triple meter; harmony is unobtrusive, with occasional flashes of chromaticism; and an overall unity prevails, underlined by the character of the bass, which tends to that of the melody, with the former often imitating the latter or arranged in the form of an ostinato. The importance of melody results in few ensembles, choruses, or purely instrumental numbers; even the recitatives are lyrical and arioso-like compared with the rapid patter of secco recitative favored in later baroque opera. Following in Claudio Monteverdi's footsteps, Pietro Francesco Cavalli fused music and drama, with musical and dramatic climaxes coinciding, whereas in most later baroque operas the emotional peaks were largely...