孟特威爾第在歌劇歷史上佔有相當重要的地位，原因主要在於他除了能夠將自己對於音樂的想法做出清晰簡練的文字記錄，還能透過實際音樂創作將他對於音樂的想法付諸實行。他提出包括「第二實踐」、「激動風格」、「模擬的自然之道」等諸多音樂理念，均源自他對於新舊音樂理論思辯之後所得的審美觀，追本溯源的結果，則是孟特威爾第的音樂思想。而他的音樂美學思想核心價值與目標，是在音樂上求「真」的企圖心，而非僅止於過去傳統的「和諧」美感。他的審美觀和作品曾經挑起音樂歷史上一連串的論戰；但即便如此，他的思想還是為西方音樂藝術帶來全新的風貌與生機。本文透過孟特威爾第的歷史文獻，以及音樂學者相關論文的探討內容，一方面確實理解他的音樂美學思想，另一方面擷取他具有代表性的音樂作品作為論述內容之佐證。

This essay focuses on Claudio Monteverdi’s aesthetic views of music, whose novel music styles or ideas such as “seconda pratica”, “stile concitato” and “via naturale alla immitatione” had become some efficient tools of musical expression and generally influenced music of his time and ever. In spite of Monteverdi’s innovations having their very roots in ancient Greek philosophers of Plato and Aristotle, they truly provoked the old school musicians of his time, e.g. Giovanni Maria Artusi, to criticize and to debate in their writings for nearly a decade. After all, the music aesthetics of Claudio Monteverdi indeed had its crucial place to formulate all his innovations and to practice them in his madrigals and operas, and which can be simply summarized in his pursuit of expressing the feelings of “truth” instead of blindly following the traditional rules of ideal
harmony.