a diplomat during this time, assisting in papal politics, including buying the votes of key cardinals for the elections of popes Innocent IX and Clement VIII who were expected to favour the Medici. During the 1590s he made frequent diplomatic trips to Rome, remaining active in the musical life there, and was connected with the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri. He premiered his famous Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo... in February 1600; this piece is generally held to be the first oratorio. According to Roman records the piece was produced twice that year at the Oratorio de Filippini adjacent to Santa Maria in Vallicella, and was witnessed by thirty-five cardinals. In 1600 Cavalieri produced Euridice, one of the first operas, by Jacopo Peri (libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini); this was part of an elaborate set of festivities for the wedding of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici. Unfortunately for Cavalieri, he was not given control of the main event, the production of Il rapimento di Cefalo—his rival Giulio Caccini took over from him—and he left Florence in anger, never to return. Emilio de' Cavalieri died on 11 of March 1602 in Rome. He is buried in Cappella de' Cavalieri in Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Emilio de' Cavalieri tomb disappeared during renovations in XVIII century. In March 2002 a replacement plaque commemorating his burial was placed in the chapel. The plaque states: EMILIO DE' CAVALIERI ROMAN GENTLEMAN, INNOVATIVE AND TALENTED COMPOSER, CREATOR OF THE FIRST OPERAS, SUPERINTENDENT OF ALL THE MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS AT THE COURT OF THE MEDICI, CONSERVATOR OF THE ROMAN SENATE AND PEOPLE. BURIED HERE 11 MARCH 1602 ON THE FOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH Works Cavalieri claimed to be the inventor of the stile rappresentativo, what is now usually known as monody, and he made the claim with considerable irritation: "everyone knows I am the inventor of [this style]," he said in a letter of 1600, "and I said so myself in print." Caccini seems to have got more of the credit, perhaps deservedly so, because of his early association with Bardi and Vincenzo Galilei in the 1570s in Florence, where the style was first discussed and probably invented. Comparing himself to Caccini, he said of their two styles: "[my] music moves people to pleasure and sadness, while theirs [i.e. Caccini's and Peri's] moves them to boredom and disgust." Among Cavalieri's