From the time he was young, he showed love for poetry. He started composing when he was a teenager. At age 25 he moved to Italy, where he built a successful career as a scientist, wrote poetry, and became a highly esteemed writer of opera libretti. He then went to Verona in 1655, where he was a member of the "Accademia Filarmonica" and the "Accademia dei Temperati".