» For the 1608 setting of the same libretto by Marco da Gagliano, see Dafne (Gagliano). Dafne's the earliest known work that, by modern standards, could be considered an opera. It was composed by Jacopo Peri in 1598, with a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini. History Dafne's scored for a much smaller ensemble than Claudio Monteverdi's slightly later operas, namely, a harpsichord, a lute, a viol, an archlute, and a triple flute. Drawing on a new development at the time, Peri established recitatives,… (More on Dafne)