1561 in music
Events
- May – Luzzasco Luzzaschi is appointed assistant organist at the Este court in Ferrara.
- 20 December – Virtuoso bass-tenor Alessandro Merlo joins the Cappella Sistina in Rome
- date unknown –
- * Rodrigo de Ceballos succeeds Bernardino de Figueroa as maestro de capilla at the Royal Chapel of Granada.
- * Philibert Jambe de Fer sues the Lyonnais printer Jean d'Ogerelles for failing to give his name on the title page of a volume of his psalm settings.
Publications
- Il terzo libro della muse, a collection of secular music
- Jacques Arcadelt – Quatorsième livre de chansons
- Jacquet de Berchem – Primo Secundo e Terzo Libro del Cappricio for four voices, a madrigal cycle setting stanzas of Orlando Furioso, and the first musical work to be titled "Cappricio"
- Ippolito Chamaterò – First book of madrigals for four voices
- Ippolito Ciera – First book of madrigals for five voices
- Nicolao Dorati – Third book of madrigals for five voices
- Jacquet of Mantua
- *First book of messe del fiore for five voices, published posthumously
- *Second book of messe del fiore for five voices, published posthumously
- Jacobus de Kerle
- *Liber psalmorum ad vesperas for four voices
- *First book of Magnificats for four voices
- Gerardus Mes – Souter liedekens, a collection of psalms
- Jan Nasco – Lamentations for four voices
- Christoph Praetorius – Melodia epithalamii for five voices, a wedding motet
Births
- January 24 – Camillo Cortellini, Italian composer, singer, and violinist
- July 17 – Jacopo Corsi, Italian composer and patron of the arts
- August – Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia, Spanish monk, organist and composer
- August 20 – Jacopo Peri, Italian singer and composer of early opera
- date unknown – Juan Blas de Castro, Spanish singer, musician, and composer
- probable
- *Elias Mertel, German lutenist, composer and intabulator
- *Peter Philips, eminent English composer, organist, and Catholic priest, the most published English composer in his time.
- *Philippe Rogier, Franco-Flemish composer at the Spanish court.
Deaths
- February 15 – Cornelius Canis, Franco-Flemish composer, singer, and choir director
- date unknown – Jan Nasco, Franco-Flemish composer and writer on music
- probable
- *Louis Bourgeois, French composer, famous for his Protestant hymn tunes
- *Ippolito Ciera, Italian composer
- *Luis de Milán, Spanish Renaissance composer, vihuelist and writer on music
- *Hendrik Niehoff, Dutch pipe organ builder