Francesco Rasi Italian composer, tenor, poet and musician Date of Birth: 14.05.1574 Country: Italy

Biography of Francesco Rasi

Francesco Rasi was an Italian composer, tenor, poet, and musician. Born in Arezzo, he studied at the University of Pisa, where he had the opportunity to closely interact with Giulio Caccini. Rasi moved to Ferrara in 1594, where he married and became associated with Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa, a renowned composer and prince of Venosa, according to some sources, while others suggest that he traveled independently. In 1598, Rasi was presented at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua. It is believed that he later worked for the Gonzaga family, and he traveled extensively throughout Italy and beyond, fulfilling the prince's assignments, including a trip to Poland.

Rasi performed in the first productions of Jacopo Peri's "Euridice" and Giulio Caccini's "Il rapimento di Cefalo." In 1607, he created the title role in Claudio Monteverdi's "Orfeo," and a year later, he was given a part in the world's first performance of Marco da Gagliano's "Dafne." In 1610, Rasi and some of his associates were sentenced to hanging, drowning, and quartering in Tuscany. They were accused of murdering Rasi's stepmother's servant and attempting to kill his stepmother. Ultimately, with the help of his patrons from the Gonzaga family, Rasi managed to avoid punishment, and the sentence was later annulled on the condition that he would never return to Arezzo.

Rasi's operatic endeavors went beyond singing, as he even composed his own opera called "Cibele, ed Ati." Unfortunately, no remnants of the opera's text or music have survived. There is information that Rasi also wrote at least one libretto titled "Elvidia rapita." In addition to his musical pursuits, Rasi also dabbled in poetry, and there are records of his works such as "La cetra di sette corde," "Vaghezze di musica," and "Madrigali." Almost all of Rasi's works were written for the tenor voice, suggesting that he created them, in part, to explore his own vocal abilities.

Throughout his life, Rasi was a respected and esteemed singer. Audiences highly valued his marvelous and colorful voice, as well as his ability to infuse the voice with incredible grace and flexibility.