1551 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in 1551.
Events
- Pope Julius III brings his protégé Palestrina to Rome as maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia at St. Peter's Basilica.
- Famous confrontation between Nicola Vicentino and Vicente Lusitano about Greek diatonic, chromatic and enharmonic genera.
- Giralamo Parabosco elected first organist at St Mark's, Venice
- The music printing and publishing company Le Roy & Ballard was founded in Paris by cousins Adrian Le Roy and Robert Ballard
- *August 14 – Le Roy & Ballard obtain royal privilege to print music from Henry II
- Francisco Guerrero appointed voce-maestro de capilla at Seville Cathedral
- Cristobal Morales appointed maestro di capilla at Malaga Cathedral
- Loys Bourgeois imprisoned in Geneva for changing psalm tunes without a license. He was released following John Calvin's personal intervention
Publications
- Giovanni Animuccia – Second book of madrigals for five voices
- Constanzo Festa – First book of madrigals for three voices, published posthumously
- Claude Goudimel – First book of psalms for three, four, and five voices
- Adrian Le Roy – Book of lute arrangements Premier Livre de Tablature de Luth
- Tielman Susato – Collection of dance music Het derde musyck boexken alderhande dansyerye was published in Antwerp
Sacred music
Births
- October 8 – Giulio Caccini, Italian composer
- probable – Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian organist and composer
- approx. year – Paolo Virchi, Italian composer, viol player and organist
- approx. year – Sebastian de Vivanco, Spanish composer, priest and teacher
Deaths
- date unknown – Albert de Rippe, Italian lutenist and composer
- Johannes Wannenmacher, German composer
- August 12 – Paul Speratus, theologian and hymn writer.
- November – Juan Alvarez de Almorox, died in Segovia
- approx. year – Jean L'Heritier, composer and singer, died probably in northern Italy.