In 1574, Montferrat was elevated to a Duchy and he became its first duke. He was succeeded by his son Vincenzo I of Gonzaga.
Guglielmo as Patron of Music
Guglielmo was particularly interested in sacred vocal music, and is known particularly to music historians for his extensive correspondence with Palestrina. He built a large new church in Mantua, that of Santa Barbara. He engaged in an unprecedented negotiation with the Papacy to create his own rite for Mantua, and devoted considerable resources to developing a musical repertoire for the church, commissioning works by Giaches de Wert and Palestrina. Part of his correspondence with Palestrina discusses the work commissioned in detail, stipulating Guglielmo's requirements, and therefore giving a sense of his musical preferences. Guglielmo's musical tastes were conservative for the day. He enjoyed imitative contrapuntal music but was concerned to maintain clarity of text, thereby showing the influence of Tridentine reforms. Upon his death his son Vincenzo invited followers of the more modern trends to his court. [1]
