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