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