Biography
Salamone Rossi’s earliest attributed publication appeared in 1589 under the title Canzonette, although the composer himself identified Il primo libro de madrigali a 5 voci as his initial printed collection. Several of these early works were dedicated to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, implying prior connections to the Mantuan court, where Rossi apparently enjoyed special favor that exempted him from wearing the yellow badge imposed on members of the Jewish community.
In addition to the madrigals already mentioned, he produced a substantial body of instrumental music, an interest that most likely grew from his own activity as a viol player. Court registers omit any S. Rossi from the official roster of violists, yet other ledgers record payments to an individual of that name for viol performances; this discrepancy suggests he may have been affiliated more closely with professional Jewish troupes than with the ducal household itself.
He supplied intermedi for Guarini’s L’idropica and issued five books of five-voice madrigals whose melodies are consistently light and graceful. The second of these volumes contains one of the earliest printed examples of basso continuo, while another resorts to four-part writing that reveals a pronounced, if already dated, conventionality.
Hashirim asher lish’lomo, a title that plays on the composer’s name and translates as The Songs of Solomon, comprises concerted settings whose three-part pieces reflect the influence of Monteverdi, whose trios show the hand of Gastaldi, and whose larger movements draw strongly on the Venetian school.
Rossi’s instrumental works are regarded as especially innovative for their scoring of two high voices above a tenor or baritone line. By granting equal prominence to the upper parts and the supporting bass, he contributed to the transformation of the canzona into the trio sonata. In his dances the upper voices achieve complete independence while the bass follows familiar popular patterns. The sinfonias recall the Canzonette of 1589, and the Madrigaletti of 1628 furnish outstanding specimens of concise duets framed by instrumental ritornellos.
In addition to the madrigals already mentioned, he produced a substantial body of instrumental music, an interest that most likely grew from his own activity as a viol player. Court registers omit any S. Rossi from the official roster of violists, yet other ledgers record payments to an individual of that name for viol performances; this discrepancy suggests he may have been affiliated more closely with professional Jewish troupes than with the ducal household itself.
He supplied intermedi for Guarini’s L’idropica and issued five books of five-voice madrigals whose melodies are consistently light and graceful. The second of these volumes contains one of the earliest printed examples of basso continuo, while another resorts to four-part writing that reveals a pronounced, if already dated, conventionality.
Hashirim asher lish’lomo, a title that plays on the composer’s name and translates as The Songs of Solomon, comprises concerted settings whose three-part pieces reflect the influence of Monteverdi, whose trios show the hand of Gastaldi, and whose larger movements draw strongly on the Venetian school.
Rossi’s instrumental works are regarded as especially innovative for their scoring of two high voices above a tenor or baritone line. By granting equal prominence to the upper parts and the supporting bass, he contributed to the transformation of the canzona into the trio sonata. In his dances the upper voices achieve complete independence while the bass follows familiar popular patterns. The sinfonias recall the Canzonette of 1589, and the Madrigaletti of 1628 furnish outstanding specimens of concise duets framed by instrumental ritornellos.