John Coprario (c.1570–1626)

John Coprario or Coperario is thought to have been born in about 1570, his original name being Cooper, and seems to have visited Italy during the early years of the seventeenth century. Though no details of this journey are known, his music shows the undoubted influence of the monodists (composers using a style of composition dominated by a single melodic line) – in particular, of Monteverdi – thus lending substance to the old tale that he took part as a performer in one of the earliest Italian operas. Upon his return to England he adopted the Italianate spelling of his surname and used this spelling for the rest of his life.