![Salamone Rossi madrigaletti](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Salamone_Rossi_madrigaletti.jpg)
Salamone Rossi or Salomone Rossi ( he, סלומונה רוסי or שלמה מן האדומים) (Salamon, Schlomo; de' Rossi) (ca. 1570 – 1630) was an Italian Jewish
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist and composer. He was a transitional figure between the late Italian
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
period and early
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
.
Life
As a young man, Rossi acquired a reputation as a talented violinist. He was then hired (in 1587) as a court musician in
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
, where records of his activities as a violinist survive.
Rossi served at the court of Mantua from 1587 to 1628 as concertmaster
where he entertained the ducal family and their highly esteemed guests. The composers Rossi,
Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...
,
Gastoldi,
Wert
WERT (1220 AM) is a radio station broadcasting adult standards featuring soft oldies from the 1940s through today. Licensed to Van Wert, Ohio, United States, the station serves Van Wert primarily but is considered part of the Lima market. The s ...
and
Viadana Viadana may refer to:
Surname
* Lodovico Grossi da Viadana (c. 1560 – 1627), Italian composer, teacher, and Franciscan friar
* Gilberto Viadana (born 1973), Italian figure skater
Other
* Viadana, Lombardy, a town in the province of Mantua, Lom ...
provided fashionable music for banquets, wedding feasts, theatre productions and chapel services amongst others. Rossi was so well-thought of at this court that he was excused from wearing the
yellow badge
Yellow badges (or yellow patches), also referred to as Jewish badges (german: Judenstern, lit=Jew's star), are badges that Jews were ordered to wear at various times during the Middle Ages by some caliphates, at various times during the Medieva ...
that was required of other Jews in Mantua.
Rossi probably died either in the invasion of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n troops, who defeated the
Gonzagas and destroyed the
Jewish ghetto in Mantua, or in the subsequent plague which ravaged the area.
Rossi's sister,
Madama Europa
Madama Europa was the nickname of Europa Rossi (fl. 1600), an opera singer, the first Jewish opera singer to achieve widespread fame outside of the Jewish community.
She was the sister of the Jewish violinist and composer Salamone Rossi who is k ...
, was an opera singer, and possibly the first Jewish woman to be professionally engaged in that area. Like her brother, she was employed at the court in Mantua; she is thought to have performed in the ''
intermedio
The intermedio (also intromessa, introdutto, tramessa, tramezzo, intermezzo, intermedii), in the Italian Renaissance, was a theatrical performance or spectacle with music and often dance, which was performed between the acts of a play to celeb ...
'' ''Il Ratto di Europa,'' by
Gabriello Chiabrera
Gabriello Chiabrera (; 18 June 155214 October 1638) was an Italian poet, sometimes called the Italian Pindar. Endnote: The best editions of Chiabrera are those of Rome (1718, 3 vols. 8vo); of Venice (1731, 4 vols. 8vo); of Leghorn (1781, 5 vols., ...
and Gastoldi, during the wedding festivities for
Francesco Gonzaga in 1608. She also disappeared after the end of the Gonzaga court and subsequent sack of the ghetto.
Works
Italian
His first published work (released in 1589) was a collection of 19
canzonette
In music, a canzonetta (; pl. canzonette, canzonetti or canzonettas) is a popular Italian secular vocal composition that originated around 1560. Earlier versions were somewhat like a madrigal but lighter in style—but by the 18th century, especial ...
s, short, dance-like compositions for a trio of voices with lighthearted, amorous lyrics. Rossi also flourished in his composition of more serious
madrigal
A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...
s, combining the poetry of the greatest poets of the day (e.g.
Guarini Guarini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538–1612), Italian poet and diplomat
* Anna Guarini, Contessa Trotti, (1563–1598), Italian virtuoso singer of the late Renaissance
* Frank Jose ...
,
Marino,
Rinaldi Rinaldi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alessandro Rinaldi (painter) (born 1839), Cremonese historic painter
*Alessandro Rinaldi (footballer) (born 1974), Italian soccer player
* Andrea Rinaldi (2000–2020), Italian footba ...
, and
Celiano) with his melodies. In 1600, in the first two of his five
madrigal
A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...
books, Rossi published the earliest
continuo madrigals, an innovation which partially defined the beginning of the Baroque era in music; these particular compositions included
tablature
Tablature (or tabulature, or tab for short) is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches.
Tablature is common for fretted stringed instruments such as the guitar, lute or vihuela, as well as many fr ...
for
chitarrone
The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending out ...
.
[Haar, et al.]
Rossi published 150 secular works in Italian, including:
Canzonette a 3, Libro primo
* I bei ligustri, for 3 voices
* Correte amanti, for 3 voices
* S'el Leoncorno, for 3 voices
Madrigali a 5, Libro primo
* Cor Mio, madrigal for 5 voices
* Dir mi che piu non ardo, madrigal for 5 voices
Instrumental
In the field of instrumental music Rossi was a bold innovator. He was one of the first composers to apply to instrumental music the principles of
monodic
In music, monody refers to a solo vocal style distinguished by having a single melodic line and instrumental accompaniment. Although such music is found in various cultures throughout history, the term is specifically applied to Italian song of ...
song, in which one melody dominates over secondary accompanying parts. His
trio sonata
The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era.
Basic str ...
s, among the first in the literature, provided for the development of an idiomatic and virtuoso
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
technique. They stand midway between the homogeneous textures of the instrumental
canzona
The canzona is an Italian musical form derived from the Franco-Flemish and Parisian chansons, and during Giovanni Gabrieli's lifetime was frequently spelled canzona, though both earlier and later the singular was spelled either canzon or canzone ...
of the late Renaissance and the trio sonata of the mature Baroque.
Works published, and preserved today include:
* Il primo libro delle sinfonie e gagliarde a 3–5 voci (1607)
* Il secondo libro delle sinfonie e gagliarde a 3–5 voci (1608)
* Il terzo libro de varie sonate, sinfonie (1613)
* Il quarto libro de varie sonate, sinfonie (1622)
Hebrew
Rossi also published a collection of Jewish liturgical music, השירים אשר לשלמה ''(Ha-shirim asher li-Shlomo, The Songs of Solomon)'' in 1623. This was written in the Baroque tradition and (almost) entirely unconnected to traditional Jewish cantorial music. This was an unprecedented development in synagogal music. The biblical ''
Song of Solomon'' does not appear within ''The Songs of Solomon'', hence the name is probably a pun on Rossi's first name (Rikko 1969). Rossi set many Biblical Hebrew texts to music in their original Hebrew language, which makes him unique among Baroque composers. His vocal music resembles that of Claudio Monteverdi and Luigi Rossi, but its lyrics are in Hebrew.
Milnes Vol. I
**Adon 'olam (8v)
piyyut
A ''piyyut'' or ''piyut'' (plural piyyutim or piyutim, he, פִּיּוּטִים / פיוטים, פִּיּוּט / פיוט ; from Greek ποιητής ''poiētḗs'' "poet") is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, ch ...
— Boston Camerata
**Barekhu (3v) prayer —
Profeti della Quinta
Profeti della Quinta (Prophets of the Perfect Fifth) is a male vocal ensemble, specializing in the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Founded in the Galilee region of Israel by Elam Rotem, the ensemble is currently based in Basel, Switz ...
(2009), Boston Camerata
**Ein keloheinu (8v) piyyut
**Elohim hashivenu Ps. 80:4, 8, 20 — Profeti della Quinta (2009)
**Haleluyah. Ashrei ish yare et Adonai (8v) Ps. 112
**Haleluyah. Haleli nafshi (4v) Ps. 146
**Haleluyah. Ode Adonai (8v) Ps. 111
**Hashkivenu (5v) prayer — Profeti della Quinta (2009)
**Keter yitenu lakh (4v) Great
kedusha — Profeti della Quinta (2009)
**Lamnatseah binginot mizmor shir (3v or 4v) Ps. 67
**Mizmor le'Asaf. Elohim nitsav (3v) Ps. 82
**Mizmor leDavid. Havu l'Adonai (6v) Ps. 29
**Mizmor shir leyom hashabat (8v) Ps. 92
**Shir hama'a lot. Esa'einai (5v) Ps. 121
**Yigdal Elohim hai (8v) piyyut
**Yitgadal veyitkadesh (3v and 5v) Full
kaddish
Kaddish or Qaddish or Qadish ( arc, קדיש "holy") is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy, different version ...
— 5v by Profeti della Quinta (2009)
*Milnes Vol. II
**'Al naharot Bavel (4v) Ps. 137 — Profeti della Quinta (2009)
**Barukh haba beshem Adonai (6v) Ps. 118:26–29 — Boston Camerata
**Eftah na sefatai (7v) piyyut
**Eftah shir bisfatai (8v) piyyut — Boston Camerata,
**Ele mo'adei Adonai (3v) Lev. 23:4
**Lamnatseah 'al hagitit (5v) Ps. 8 — Profeti della Quinta (2009)
**Lamnatseah 'al hasheminit (3v) Ps.12
**Lemi ehpots (8v) Wedding ode — Profeti della Quinta (2009)
**Mizmor letoda (5v) Ps. 100
**Odekha ki'anitani (6v) Ps. 118:21–24
**Shir hama'a lot. Ashrei kol yere Adonai (3v, 5v and 6v) Ps. 128
**Shir hama'a lot. Beshuv Adonai (5v) Ps. 126
**Shir hama'a lot leDavid. Lulei Adonai (6v) Ps. 124
**Yesusum midbar vetsiya (5v) Isaiah 35:1–2, 5–6, 10
Recordings
*Rossi, S: Il terzo libro de varie sonate, sinfonie, gagliarde, brandi e corrente, Op. 12 Il Ruggiero, Emanuela Marcante Tactus 2012
*Rossi: (1) Vocal Works, (2) Madrigals, (3) Canti di Salomone. 3 CDs licensed from
Tactus Records
Tactus Records (Italian Casa Discografica Tactus) is an Italian classical music recording label based in Bologna, Italy. It was founded in 1986 by a local businessman Serafino Rossi (1927-3 December 2009). The Province of Bologna held a concert i ...
Italy to Brilliant Classics, Netherlands. BLC 93359
:Madrigaletti op. XIII - Ensemble L'aura soave. Diego Cantalupi TC.571802 2000
:Primo libro di madrigali a 4 voci - Arie a voce sola dal I Libro dei Madrigali a 5 voci - Ut Musica Poësis Ensemble Director: Stefano Bozolo TC.571803 2001
:Canti di Salomone a 3 parti - Sonata e Salmi di Henry Purcell - Mottetto di André Campra - Ensemble Hypothesis Director: Leopoldo d'Agostino TC.571804 2003
*''The Songs of Solomon''. Corvina Consort dir. Zoltan Kalmanovits, Hungaroton 2006
*''The Songs of Solomon, Volume 1: Music for the Sabbath.'' Pro Gloria Musicae PGM 108
*''The Songs of Solomon, Volume 2: Holiday and festival music'' Jewish sacred music from 17th-century Italy by Salamone Rossi,
New York Baroque, dir.
Eric Milnes
Eric Milnes (born May 7, 1959) is an American harpsichordist, organist and conductor, especially in the field of Baroque music. He began a series of recordings of all Bach cantatas with singers performing one voice per part and the Montreal Bar ...
. Troy, NY: Dorian, 2001
*''The Song of Solomon and Instrumental Music''.
Profeti della Quinta
Profeti della Quinta (Prophets of the Perfect Fifth) is a male vocal ensemble, specializing in the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Founded in the Galilee region of Israel by Elam Rotem, the ensemble is currently based in Basel, Switz ...
,
Ensemble Muscadin. ℗2008, ©2009. Pan Classics PC 10214. Includes libretto with Hebrew texts
*Rossi: Il mantovano hebreo
Profeti della Quinta
Profeti della Quinta (Prophets of the Perfect Fifth) is a male vocal ensemble, specializing in the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Founded in the Galilee region of Israel by Elam Rotem, the ensemble is currently based in Basel, Switz ...
Vol.2 Elam Rotem Linn 2013
*''Salomone Rossi Ebreo: A Jewish Composer in 17th Century Italy'' Ensemble La Dafne, Stefano Rossi Release Date: 9th Feb 2018 GB5638 Bongiovanni
*Rossi, S: ''The Two Souls of Solomon'' Ensemble Daedalus, Roberto Festa Accent
*''Salamone Rossi Hebreo'' Boston Early Music. dir. Prof. Joshua R. Jacobson
*''Salomone Rossi - Illumine Our Hearts'' Sursum Corda. MSR Classics. 2010-02-09
on collections
*''Musique judéo-baroque''.
Boston Camerata, dir.
Joel Cohen. LP: ℗1979. CD: Arles: Harmonia mundi, ℗1988. Harmonia mundi France HMA 1901021
*''Jewish Baroque Music'' of Rossi, Lidarti, Caceres
Ensemble Salomone Rossi Concerto CTO 2009
*'Salamone Rossi Hebreo Mantovano': Siena Ensemble, directed by Michelene Wandor. Vocal and instrumental music. Classical Recording Company (London) 2002.
*''Sacred Bridges''.
The King's Singers
The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...
and
Sarband. Signum Classics SIGCD065 2005
References
Sources
*Birnbaum, Eduard (1978) ''Jewish musicians at the court of the Mantuan dukes, 1542–1628,'' Tel Aviv : Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Fine Arts, School of Jewish Studies, 1978, c. 1975
*James Haar, Anthony Newcomb, Glenn Watkins, Nigel Fortune, Joseph Kerman, Jerome Roche: "Madrigal", in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980.
*
Harran, Don (2003). ''Salamone Rossi: Jewish Musician in Late Renaissance Mantua.'' Oxford University Press. 332 pages.
*Nettl, Paul and Theodore Baker (1931). "Some Early Jewish Musicians" in ''The Musical Quarterly'', Vol. 17, No. 1. (Jan., 1931), pp. 40–46. ISSN 0027-4631
*Patuzzi, Stefano, ''Music from a Confined Space: Salomone Rossi's "Ha-shirim asher liShlomoh" (1622/23) and the Mantuan Ghetto'', in "Journal of Synagogue Music" (Sacred Space), ed. by Joseph A. Levine, Fall 2012, volume 37, pp. 49–69.
*Patuzzi, Stefano, ''I'' Canti ''di Salomone Rossi e l'"invenzione" della musica ebraica'', in ''Lombardia Judaica'', ed. by Giulio Busi and Ermanno Finzi, Florence, Giuntina, 2017, pp. 39–48.
*Rikko, Fritz (1969). "Salamon Rossi, Hashirim Asher L'shlomo (The Songs of Solomon)" in ''The Musical Quarterly'', Vol. 55, No. 2 (Apr., 1969), pp. 269–275
*Jacobson, Joshua R. (2016) "Salamone Rossi Renaissance Man of Jewish Music" Berlin: Hentrich & Hentrich, (Jüdische Miniaturen Bd. 196)
*
Seroussi, Edwin (2004) "On the Footsteps of the 'Great Jewish Composer'": Review-Essay of Don Harrán’s ''Salamone Rossi: Jewish Musician in Late Renaissance Mantua.'' In ''Min'ad: Israel Studies in Musicology Online'' 3
External links
*
*
Zamir Chorale of Boston: main page about Salamone RossiJewish EncyclopediaSalamone Rossi on JewishChoralMusic.com*Audio:
Al Naharot Bavel' (''By the Rivers of Babylon''), Psalm 137, from ''The Songs of Solomon''.
Salomone Rossi and his innovationsAn Early Music Sources educational video describing Rossi's influence on music of his time, including audio examples
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossi, Salamone
Renaissance composers
Italian Baroque composers
Italian male classical composers
Jewish classical composers
Jewish classical violinists
16th-century Italian Jews
1570s births
1630 deaths
17th-century Italian composers
Male classical violinists
17th-century Italian Jews
17th-century male musicians