Rasi, Francesco (1574-1620)

Italian singer, poet, and composer. He came of a noble family and was a pupil of Caccini at Florence. A musician at the court of Mantua 1598-1620, he sang in the first performances of Peri's Euridice and Caccini's Il rapimento di Cefalo and is believed to have created Monteverdi's Orfeo.

Works madrigals (Dialoghi, 1620); opera Ati e Cefale (Mantua, 1617); chamber music; church music.