Rossi, Francesco

Italian composer of operas any church-music; was born at Bari, Italy, where we find him as canon in 1680. He composed four operas, all produced at Venice: II Sejano moderno, Le pena degli occhi, La Corilda, and Mitrane; also a requiem for five voices; psalms; and an oratorio preserved in manuscript at Naples, La Caduta degli angeli. A scene from the opera, Mitrane, known as Ah, rendimi, is an excellent example of Rossi's best writing. He was one of Scarlatti's immediate successors, and his operas conformed to the style of the times in consisting of arias, duets, and short recitatives.