But we must not lose sight of the influence of Constanzo Festa, the earliest great Italian writer of madrigals, whose first book of these compositions (for three voices) was published in 1537.

We are therefore to understand that in the plays about to be mentioned the madrigal style prevailed in the music.
In 1539 at the marriage of Cosimo I and Eleanora of Toledo there were two spectacular performances.

In the first Apollo appeared in company with the muses.

He sang stanzas glorifying the bride and her husband, and the muses responded with a canzona in nine parts.

Now the cities of Tuscany entered, each accompanied by a symbolical procession, and sang their praises to the bride.