How did Claudio Monteverdi connect older polyphonic music with newer monodic music?

Claudio Monteverdi bridged the gap between older polyphony and the newer monodic style by formulating a stylistic dialectic he termed the "two practices" (seconda pratica and prima pratica).12

Rather than abandoning tradition, Monteverdi maintained that both styles held value. He upheld the "first practice"—the pure, structured polyphony of masters like Josquin des Prez and Giovanni Palestrina—as the supreme standard for certain types of church music. Simultaneously, he embraced the "second practice," a modern, monodic approach where the text acts as the "mistress of harmony," prioritizing the emotional declamation of words over strict contrapuntal rules.12

Monteverdi integrated these worlds by applying the expressive, declamatory melodies of his madrigals to the recitative used in opera. In his sacred works, such as his 1610 vespers, he combined advanced modern techniques with the old tradition by using plainsong as thematic material, effectively demonstrating that the polyphonic idiom could coexist with and enhance modern, expressive musical forms.1