Michelangelo Rossi (ca. 1601/1602 ? 1656) was an
important Italian composer, violinist and organist of
the Baroque era.
Rossi was born in Genoa, where he studied with his
uncle, Lelio Rossi (1601-1638), at the Cathedral of San
Lorenzo. Around the year 1624 he moved to Rome to enter
the services of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy.
Although Rossi was famed as an outstanding violinist in
his lifetime, today his reputation rests chiefly on his
keyboard music. In pa...(+)
Michelangelo Rossi (ca. 1601/1602 ? 1656) was an
important Italian composer, violinist and organist of
the Baroque era.
Rossi was born in Genoa, where he studied with his
uncle, Lelio Rossi (1601-1638), at the Cathedral of San
Lorenzo. Around the year 1624 he moved to Rome to enter
the services of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy.
Although Rossi was famed as an outstanding violinist in
his lifetime, today his reputation rests chiefly on his
keyboard music. In particular his 10 Toccatas are
highly regarded (amongst these, this Toccata Settima --
Toccata VII with its wildly chromatic ending is best
known). They are stylistically close to the music of
Girolamo Frescobaldi, Carlo Gesualdo and Johann Jakob
Froberger, while being individual, and they enjoy a
reputation as a significant milestone in the keyboard
literature.
Although originally written for Harpsichord, I created
this arrangement for Concert (Pedal) Harp to emphasize
it's elegant arpeggios and chromatic finale.