Editing Luigi Rossi (section)

== Life ==
Rossi composed two operas: ''[[Il palazzo incantato]]'', which was given at Rome in 1642; and ''[[Orfeo (Rossi)|Orfeo]]'', written after he was invited by [[Cardinal Mazarin]] in 1646 to go to Paris for that purpose and given its premiere there in 1647. Rossi returned to France in 1648 hoping to write another opera, but no production was possible because the court had [[Fronde|sought refuge]] outside Paris. Rossi returned to Rome by 1650 and never attempted anything more for the stage.

A collection of [[cantata]]s published in 1646 describes him as musician to Cardinal [[Antonio Barberini]], while [[Giacomo Antonio Perti]] in 1688 speaks of him along with [[Giacomo Carissimi|Carissimi]] and [[Antonio Cesti|Cesti]] as "the three greatest lights of our profession."

Rossi is noteworthy principally for his chamber-cantatas, which are among the finest that the 17th century produced. A large number of the 300 he left are in manuscripts in the [[British Library]] and in [[Christ Church Library]], [[Oxford]]. ''La Gelosia'', printed by [[François-Auguste Gevaert|F. A. Gevaert]] in ''Les Gloires d'Italie'', is an admirable specimen.