This study investigates the life and musical output of Luca Marenzio, a central figure in the development of the Italian madrigal during the late Renaissance. Denis Arnold, a noted musicologist, utilizes archival research and stylistic analysis of Marenzio's compositions to situate the composer within the social and artistic climate of late sixteenth-century Rome. The text argues that Marenzio's technical innovations in word-painting and harmonic expression were instrumental in bridging the gap between the high Renaissance polyphonic tradition and the emerging baroque aesthetic.

Musicologists recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the technical nuances of Marenzio's madrigals. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which assumes a baseline knowledge of music theory and Renaissance history.