On This Day

Michelangelo Rossi's opera "Erminia sul Giordano" premieres in Rome

Michelangelo Rossi (Michel Angelo del Violino) (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...

Michelangelo Rossi (Michel Angelo del Violino) (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 organist (from 1601 to 1638), at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Around the year 1624 he moved to Rome to enter the service of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy. It was there that he met the madrigal composer Sigismondo d'India as well as the keyboard composer Girolamo Frescobaldi.

Rossi's two books of madrigals, which have only comparatively recently come to scholarly attention, were likely written during this period. Rossi's madrigal output from this period is remarkably chromatic, to a level matched only by the music of such experimental composers as Carlo Gesualdo.

Historical Significance

Michelangelo Rossi (Michel Angelo del Violino) (ca.

Events Before

  1. Galileo Galilei's book "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" is published comparing the Copernican and Ptole

    Galileo Galilei's book "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" is published comparing the Copernican and Ptolemaic systems and whether the Earth orbits the sun

  2. Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed, returns Quebec to French control after the English seized it in 1629

    Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed, returns Quebec to French control after the English seized it in 1629

  3. Battle of Rain: Swedish forces under Gustavus Adolphus defeat Count Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Yea

    Battle of Rain: Swedish forces under Gustavus Adolphus defeat Count Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War

  4. Britain grants Lord Baltimore rights to Chesapeake Bay area

    Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675) was an English politician and lawyer who was the first proprietor of Maryland.

  5. Mughal army begins a siege of the Portuguese trading port of Hooghly, ordered by Shah Jahan to check piracy and the slav

    Mughal army begins a siege of the Portuguese trading port of Hooghly, ordered by Shah Jahan to check piracy and the slave trade (captured three months later)

Events After

  1. Burchardi flood, known as the second "Grote Mandrenke," kills about 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark, and Germany

    Burchardi flood, known as the second "Grote Mandrenke," kills about 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark, and Germany

  2. Puritan author William Prynne tried in Star Chamber for publishing "Histrio-masti", criticising the theatre

    Puritan author William Prynne tried in Star Chamber for publishing "Histrio-masti", criticising the theatre

  3. Battle of Smolensk: King Wladyslaw IV of Poland beats Russians [NS=Mar 1]

    Battle of Smolensk: King Wladyslaw IV of Poland beats Russians [NS=Mar 1]

  4. Irish captain Walter Devereaux kills Duke Wallenstein

    Irish captain Walter Devereaux kills Duke Wallenstein

  5. Battle at Smolensk: Polish King Wladyslaw IV beats Russians

    Battle at Smolensk: Polish King Wladyslaw IV beats Russians

More from the 1630s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 2, 1633?
Michelangelo Rossi (Michel Angelo del Violino) (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 organist (from 1601 to 1638), at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo.
Why is Michelangelo Rossi's opera "Erminia sul Giordano" premieres in Rome significant?
Michelangelo Rossi (Michel Angelo del Violino) (ca.

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