Ferrara, in the 1580s and 1590s, was one of the most musically advanced and sophisticated places in Europe. Under the patronage of Duke Alfonso II d'Este the court developed into a place of musical experimentation, with a group of virtuoso female singers (the "concerto di donne") available to an equally virtuoso group of composers, who included Luzzaschi, Agostini, and in the 1590s, Carlo Gesualdo. They all wrote music for the enjoyment of a small group of connoisseurs, including the Duke himself. In this rarefied atmosphere an avant-garde style of music flourished, and Agostini was one of the most musically daring of the group. In some ways the scene at Ferrara was reminiscent of the activity at Avignon in the late 14th century, which produced a musical style known as the ars subtilior; indeed the Ferrarese scene is reminiscent of certain 20th and 21st century movements.