1590 in music
Events
- October 16 – Carlo Gesualdo, Italian composer of madrigals, murders his wife and her lover in flagrante delicto.
- Approximate peak year of the late Italian madrigal style, as represented by Gesualdo, Luzzaschi, Monteverdi, Marenzio, Monte and others.
- The serpent is invented by Canon Edmé Guillaume in Auxerre, France – it was a common instrument in Western European churches for the next several hundred years.
- Baldassare Donato becomes maestro di cappella at St. Mark's in Venice, taking over on the death of Gioseffo Zarlino.
- Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer, is engaged as string player at court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua.
- Emilio de' Cavalieri, Italian composer, produces Tasso's Aminto, likely with his own music, for the Medici, at Carnival in Florence.
- Giovanni Gabrieli arranges the posthumous publication of works by his uncle Andrea Gabrieli, in Venice.
Publications
- Gregor Aichinger – Sacrae cantiones..., also includes some madrigals
- Blasius Amon – Sacrae cantiones...
- Felice Anerio – First book of madrigals for six voices
- Giammateo Asola – Vespers for twelve voices, also includes two Magnificats, a Salve Regina, a mass, and five laudi
- Paolo Bellasio – First book of madrigals for six voices
- Valerio Bona – Litaniae et aliae laudes B. Mariae Virginis for four voices, Simon Tini ed.
- Giovanni Croce
- *First book of madrigals for six voices
- *First book of Mascarate piacevole et ridicolose per il carnevale for four, five, six, seven, and eight voices
- Girolamo Dalla Casa – The second book of madrigals for five voices
- Giovanni Gabrieli publishes works in the cori spezzati style, in Venice.
- Jacobus Gallus
- *Opus musicum, volume 4
- *Harmoniarum moralium for four voices, book 2 & 3
- Hans Leo Hassler – Canzonette for four voices
- Paolo Isnardi – First book of masses for six voices
- Orlande de Lassus, Franco-Flemish composer – Neue teutsche, unnd etliche frantzösische Gesäng for six voices
- Cristofano Malvezzi – Second book of madrigals for five voices
- Tiburtio Massaino – Third book of motets for five voices
- Philippe de Monte
- *Third book of madrigali spirituali for six voices
- *Fourteenth book of madrigals for five voices
- Claudio Monteverdi – Il secondo libro de madrigali a cinque voci di Claudio Monteverde Cremonese discepolo del Sig.r Ingegneri
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Fifth book of masses for four, five, and six voices
- David Palladius
- *Nuptiales cantiones, a book of wedding music, published in Wittenberg by Johann Franck, printed by Matthäus Welack
- *Ein neue Lied dem Hochwirden in Gott..., published in Magdeburg by Johann Franck
- Andreas Pevernage
- *Second book of chansons for five voices
- *Third book of chansons for five voices
- Orfeo Vecchi – Masses, Sunday Vespers psalms, Magnificat, motets, and polyphonic psalms for eight voices
- Orazio Vecchi publishes a book of motets for 10 voices, in Venice.
- Thomas Watson – The first sett, Of Italian Madrigalls Englished, published in London.
Births
Deaths