No, this might seem like stutter in the title, but it is not. This is the first in a series of posts featuring the mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II in Graz.
He was the original “Gran Fernando”, that Monteverdi devoted his 8th Book of Madrigals to. Ferdinand was married to a Gonzaga princess, Monteverdi worked at the Gonzaga court, so this was a natural affair. Unfortunately Ferdinand died shortly before publication. Therefore, his son, Ferdinand III, ended up as Monteverdi’s “Gran Fernando”. Always good to have choices 😛