Among the leading composers of his time, Luigi Rossi was in the service of the Borghese family in Rome and then of Cardinal Antonio Barberini. After the exile of the Barberini he spent time in Paris, providing music for the court, until political events there made this inopportune. For much of his life he held the position of organist at San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.

Operas
With the encouragement of Cardinal Barberini, Rossi provided music in 1642 for the opera Il palazzo incantato (‘The Enchanted Palace’). His second opera, Orfeo, was written at the request of Cardinal Mazarin for the French court.

Cantatas
Rossi wrote a large number of cantatas, expressive and varied in content, each encapsulating a dramatic scene.