Luca Marenzio (1552/54–1599) was one of the first renowned Italian composers after so many years of French and Flemish prevalence. He was at the service of several ecclesiastic dignitaries and developed his career in Rome, although he spent some time in very important music cities such as Ferrara or Florence, and was appointed choirmaster of Sigismund III, King of Poland. After Palestrina's death, he was considered the most important composer in the Eternal City; only Claudio Monteverdi shadowed him in the last years. His renown was so significant that he was commissioned, after Palestrina and Zoilo, to revise choirbooks and compose music following the guidelines of the Council of Trent. Luca Marenzio was also a singer and lutist, but his prestige was mostly due to the over four hundred madrigals he published between 1580 and 1599. His works were widely disseminated, printed outside Italy in cities such as Antwerp, Nuremberg or London.