1617 in music

Events

• January 6 – The Vision of Delight, a masque written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace, probably for the first time on this date, with a second performance of January 19. The work features music by Nicholas Lanier.
• January 16 – Thomas Weelkes, organist at Chichester Cathedral, is dismissed for being drunk and disorderly.
• February 22 – Lovers Made Men, another masque by Jonson, Jones, and Lanier, is performed.
• August 30 – Alessandro Grandi is appointed singer at San Marco, Venice, at a salary of 80 ducats per annum, under choirmaster Claudio Monteverdi.
• December 29 – John Bull is appointed cathedral organist in Antwerp, with a salary of 80 florins a year plus a special supplement of 20 florins.
• Lutenist and composer Jacques Gaultier flees to England from France after being involved in a murder.

Publications

• Agostino Agresta – First book of madrigals for six voices
• Gregor Aichinger
• *Encomium verbo incarnato for four voices and basso continuo.
• *Officium angeli custodis for four voices and basso continuo, dedicated to Maximilian Fugger.
• Giovanni Andreini, Claudio Monteverdi, Salamone Rossi, Muzio Effrem, Alessandro Ghivizzani – Musiche de alcuni eccellentissimi Musici composte per la Maddalena "Sacra Rappresentazione".
• Giovanni Francesco Anerio
• *Fourth book of Sacri concentus
• *Diporti musicali, madrigals for 1, 2, 3, and 4 voices
• *Selva armonica, a collection of motets, madrigals, canzonettas, dialogues, and arias
• Bartolomeo Barbarino – Madrigals for three voices and theorbo or harpsichord, also includes some madrigals for solo voice
• Girolamo Belli – Ninth book of madrigals for five voices, Op. 22
• Jean Baptiste Besard – Novus Partus, sive Concertationes Musicae, collection of lute music.
• Bernardino Borlasca – First book of Ardori spirituali for two, three, and four voices, Op. 7
• William Brade – Newe Außerlesene liebliche Branden, Intraden, Mascharaden, Balletten, All'manden, Couranten, Volten, Auffzuege und fremde Taentze for five instruments, a collection of dance music
• Antonio Brunelli – Sacra cantica for one, two, three, and four voices, Op. 13
• Thomas Campion – The Third and Fourth Booke of Ayres, "so as they may be expressed by one voyce, with a violl, lute, or orpharion".
• Antonio Cifra
• *Fifth book of Li diversi scherzi for one, two, three, and four voices, Op. 23
• *Fourth book of madrigals for five voices
• Camillo Cortellini – Masses for eight voices
• Richard Dering – Cantiones sacrae for five voices with basso continuo
• Melchior Franck
• *Musicalischer Frewdenschall for twelve voices, a festival motet
• *Neues Hochzeit Gesang, Auss dem 25. Capitel Syrachs for twelve voices in three choirs, a wedding motet
• *Echus for eight voices, a wedding motet
• *Christliche Musicalische Glückwünschunge zu dem neuen Officio
• Marco da Gagliano – Sixth book of madrigals for five voices
• Pierre Guédron – Third book of airs de cours for four and five voices
• Andreas Hakenberger – Harmonia Sacra for six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and twelve voices with organ bass
• Biagio Marini – Affetti musicali, Op. 1
• Pietro Pace
• *Il secondo libro de scherzi, et arie spirituali..., Op. 14
• *Madrigali a quattro et a cinque voci..., Op. 15
• Vincenzo Pace - Sacrorum concentuum..., 3 books, Op. 1–3
• Giovanni Palazzotto e Tagliavia — First book of madrigals to five voices
• Francesco Pasquali – Sacrae cantiones..., Op. 2
• Enrico Antonio Radesca – Fifth book of canzonettas, madrigals and arias for one and two voices
• Johann Hermann Schein – Banchetto musicale, newer... Padouanen, Gagliarden, Courenten und Allemanden à 5, auff allerley Instrumenten.

Opera

• Giordano Giacobbi – Il Reno sacrificante

Births

• April 3 – Antimo Liberati, Italian music theorist, composer, and contralto singer

Deaths

• February 16 – Kaspar Ulenberg, German theologian, poet, and composer
• April 5 – Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer
• August 8 – Tarquinia Molza, Italian singer
• August 16 – Giovanni Bassano, cornet player and composer
• date unknown
• *Cesare Bendinelli, Italian trumpet player
• *Robert Jones, lutenist and composer