Composer. An important figure in the development of Baroque music. His opera "Orfeo" (1647) was one of the first music dramas to be performed in France and helped lay the foundations for that country's operatic tradition. Rossi was born in Torremaggiore, Italy, and studied in Naples, where he was active as a singer and teacher under the patronage of several noble families. From 1633 until his death he was organist of the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. In 1641 he joined the Roman court of Cardinal Antonio Barberini, who personally financed his first opera, "Il palazzo incatato" (1642), a seven-hour epic based on Ariosto's poem "Orlando Furioso". This introduced a new lyricism in the genre, in which arias outnumbered the standard recitatives. When the Barberinis fell from power Rossi accompanied them into exile in Paris, where "Orfeo" was commissioned and very successfully staged. He returned to Rome in 1650 but wrote no further operas. Today Rossi is better known for his smaller vocal works. He composed over 300 cantatas, bringing to them greater variety by blending the lyrical with the declamatory. These were regularly performed in Europe for nearly a century after his death. In 1688 composer Giacomo Perti described Rossi as one of "the greatest lights of our profession", ranking him with Carissimi and Cesti.
Composer. An important figure in the development of Baroque music. His opera "Orfeo" (1647) was one of the first music dramas to be performed in France and helped lay the foundations for that country's operatic tradition. Rossi was born in Torremaggiore, Italy, and studied in Naples, where he was active as a singer and teacher under the patronage of several noble families. From 1633 until his death he was organist of the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. In 1641 he joined the Roman court of Cardinal Antonio Barberini, who personally financed his first opera, "Il palazzo incatato" (1642), a seven-hour epic based on Ariosto's poem "Orlando Furioso". This introduced a new lyricism in the genre, in which arias outnumbered the standard recitatives. When the Barberinis fell from power Rossi accompanied them into exile in Paris, where "Orfeo" was commissioned and very successfully staged. He returned to Rome in 1650 but wrote no further operas. Today Rossi is better known for his smaller vocal works. He composed over 300 cantatas, bringing to them greater variety by blending the lyrical with the declamatory. These were regularly performed in Europe for nearly a century after his death. In 1688 composer Giacomo Perti described Rossi as one of "the greatest lights of our profession", ranking him with Carissimi and Cesti.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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