1603 in music

The year 1603 in music involved some significant events.

Events

January 1 – Francesco Soriano is appointed maestro di cappella at St. Peter's Basilica, replacing Asprilio Pacelli
Orlando Gibbons becomes a member of the Chapel Royal.
Giovanni Artusi attacks the "crudities" and "licence" in the works of Claudio Monteverdi.
Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia leaves his post as organist of Huesca Cathedral to become maestro de música at La Seo Cathedral in Saragossa.
Asprilio Pacelli is appointed maestro di capella for King Sigismund III of Poland.

Publications

Agostino Agazzari
*Sacrae laudes... liber secundus
*Sacrarum cantionum... liber tertius
Gregor Aichinger
*Liturgica sive sacra officia, ad omnes dies festos Magnae Dei Matris per annum celebrari solitos
*Vespertinum Virginis canticum sive Magnificat...
*Ghirlanda di canzonette spirituali, for three voices
Costanzo Antegnati – Book 14: Missa Charles Borromeo, motets, and French chansons for three choirs
Adriano Banchieri – Fantasie o vero canzoni alla francese for organ and other musical instruments, for four voices
Giulio Belli – Psalmi ad vesperas in totius anni festivitatibus for six voices, also includes three Magnificats
Sethus Calvisius – Tricinia for three voices or instruments, a collection of sacred songs in German
Giovanni Croce – Devotissime Lamentationi et Improperii per la Settimana Santa for four voices, music for Holy Week
John Dowland – The third and last booke of songs or aires
Johannes Eccard – HochzeitLied for four voices, a wedding song
Christian Erbach – Mele sive cantiones sacrae ad modum canzonette ut vocant for four voices
Achille Falcone – Madrigals for five voices, published posthumously
Stefano Felis – Second book of masses for six voices
Melchior Franck
*Opusculum for four voices, a collection of secular partsongs
*Neuer Pavanen, Galliarden, unnd Intraden for four, five, and six voices
*Noch ein ander Quodlibet dem Herrn Marx Weisen for four voices
Bartholomäus Gesius – Enchiridium etlicher deutschen und lateinischen Gesengen for four voices
Carlo Gesualdo – Sacrarum cantionum liber primus, 2 vols.
Claude Le Jeune – Le printemps for two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight voices, a collection of airs, published posthumously
Carolus Luython – Selectissimum sacrarum cantionum for six voices
Ascanio Mayone – Il Primo libro di diversi capricci per sonare, a collection of keyboard music
Rogier Michael – Introitus Dominicorum dierum ac praecipuorum festorum for five voices, a collection of motets
Claudio Monteverdi – Il quatro libro de madrigali a cinque voci di Claudio Monteverdi Maestro della Musica del Ser.mo Sig.r Duca di Mantova
Pomponio Nenna – Fifth book of madrigals for five voices
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina — Cantiones sacrae, published posthumously
Benedetto Pallavicino – First book of masses
Tomaso Pecci
*Musicae modi in responsory
*First book of canzonettas for three voices, also contains one piece by Giulio Giuliani
Peter Philips – Second book of madrigals for six voices
Orfeo Vecchi
*First book of Magnificats for five voices
*First book of motets for four voices
*Cantiones sacrae for six voices

Classical music

Tomás Luis de Victoria – Officium Defunctorum, composed for the funeral obsequies of Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, performed on April 22 and 23

Opera

''none listed''

Births

March 18 – King John IV of Portugal, composer, patron of music and the arts, and writer on music
November – Francesco Foggia, composer
date unknown
*Denis Gaultier, French lutenist and composer
*William Smith, liturgical composer
probable – Benedetto Ferrari, composer and theorbo player

Deaths

June – Baldassare Donato, composer and singer
July 4 – Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer
August 2 – Rinaldo dall'Arpa, composer, singer and harpist
August 16 – Cardinal Silvio Antoniani, amateur musician
September 25 – Stefano Felis, Neapolitan composer and music teacher
October 23 – Johann Wanning, Dutch-born composer, kapellmeister and alto singer
date unknown – Ambrosio Cotes, Spanish composer