Michelangelo Rossi (1602-1656) was an Italian composer, violinist, and organist of the early Baroque period, known for his highly expressive and often daring keyboard music. Born in Genoa, Rossi was a pupil of Girolamo Frescobaldi, one of the greatest keyboard composers of the time, whose influence is evident in Rossi’s intricate counterpoint and rich harmonic language. Rossi later served as a musician in Rome, including at the court of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy and at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he earned recognition both as a virtuoso performer and as a composer.
Rossi’s surviving keyboard works include a collection of Toccatas and Correntes, which are remarkable examples of early 17th-century Italian keyboard style. His Toccatas follow the model established by Frescobaldi but push its expressive boundaries even further. They are characterized by rapid contrasts of tempo, rhythm, and affect, alternating between improvisatory, rhapsodic passages and tightly structured contrapuntal sections. Rossi’s harmonic language is unusually bold for its time, often featuring unexpected chromaticism and dissonant progressions that create moments of intense emotional tension. These daring harmonic experiments make his music stand out even among the avant-garde tendencies of early Baroque Italy.
The Correntes, by contrast, are more rhythmically regular and dance-like, reflecting the growing importance of stylized dance forms in instrumental music. Yet even within these seemingly simple pieces, Rossi introduces subtle variations and expressive harmonic turns that elevate them beyond mere functional dance music.
Played on organ and harpsichord: Organ G.B. Gavinelli (17th century at the S. Anna Church in Bellinzago Novarese, harpsichord from G.B. Giusti 1681 by Andrea di Maio (2006).
Manuel Tomadin is one of the foremost Italian organists of today, a scholar and passionate musician, with an impressive discography to his name: Husumer Organ Book, Alberti’s Complete Keyboard Works, Van Noordt, Krebs, Lübeck, Hassler, Martini, Erbach and other North German organ masters.
