Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, was an Italian composer and nobleman born on March 8, 1566, in Venosa, a small town in the Kingdom of Naples. He is primarily known for his innovative and highly expressive madrigals and sacred music, but his life was marked by a complex and controversial personality.
Gesualdo hailed from a prestigious and wealthy family, inheriting the title of Prince of Venosa at a young age. His early education included music, and he displayed a keen interest and talent for the art. In 1586, he married his cousin Maria d'Avalos, a union that would later become infamous due to its tragic outcome.