The city of Venice in Italy has played an important role in the development of the music of Italy. The Venetian state—i.e. the medieval Maritime Republic of Venice—was often popularly called the "Republic of Music", and an anonymous Frenchman of the 17th century is said to have remarked that "In every home, someone is playing a musical instrument or singing. There is music everywhere." Historical background Introduction The rich history of music in Venice extends back to the founding of the city in the early Middle Ages, although relatively little is known about music prior to the 15th century. Because of the wide geographical span of its trade relations with both the East and the West, it was continuously influenced by styles that originated in many parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Although Venice bred a great many musicians of rare skill, the Republic frequently searched for talented performers and composers through diplomatic networks. Important chapters in the development of instrumental music were written in Venice: for lute and for organ in the 16th century, for instrumental ensemble in the 17th, and for virtuoso performance in the 18th. The institution of opera theaters, open to a fee-paying public in 1637, followed a long period of private performance before noble audiences of plays with musical numbers. The relationship of these commedie to early opera remain a little-explored area. Festive church music, often performed before the same select audiences as private concerts of instrumental and vocal music, was what many visitors remembered the longest. Even the traditional barcarola tunes sung by Venetian gondoliers developed into an important genre of classical music. The many transformations that Venetian culture underwent in connection with the collapse of the Republic (1797), the turbulence of Napoleonic rule, the strictures of Austrian administration, and the vicissitudes of the Italian state (since 1866) have left their distinct marks on the music made in Venice. Venice has remained an important venue for the gestation of new music through the activities of such composers as Nino Rota, Luigi Nono, and several others. The Veneto continues to breed musicians and ensembles of the highest rank. Church music Venice developed a distinctive tradition of church music. There were services with elaborate music at St Mark's Basilica and other buildings in the city. The seminal Venetian composer to emerge from this creative milieu was Claudio Monteverdi (see Vespro della Beata Vergine