Martinelli was born in
Rome in either 1589 or 1590. In 1603, she came to Mantua at the request of Duke Vincenzo, who originally intended for her to be trained in Florence first but later changed his mind. After arriving in Mantua, she lived in Monteverdi's household. It's possible that she was trained as a singer by Monteverdi's wife in addition to receiving instruction from Monteverdi and
Francesco Rasi. Until her death, she was the Duke's preferred soprano in the court. In February 1608 she created the title role in
Marco da Gagliano's
La Dafne; one of the earliest known operas. Martinelli died of
small pox on March 7, 1608. At the request of the Duke, Monteverdi composed a setting of a
sestina written in her memory by
Scipione Agnelli, a Mantuan bishop. The resulting work was the
madrigal cycle '' Lagrime d'amante al sepolcro dell'amata''. ==References==