1656 in music

Events

• May – The Siege of Rhodes, Part I, by Sir William Davenant, the "first English opera", is performed in a private theatre at his home, Rutland House, in the City of London. The vocal music is by Henry Lawes, Matthew Locke and Capt. Henry Cooke, and the instrumental music by Charles Coleman and George Hudson. The performance includes the innovative use of painted backdrops and the appearance of England's first professional actress, Mrs. Coleman as Ianthe.

Publications

• Michel Lambert's first compositions are printed by Ballard.

Classical music

• Johann Jakob Froberger – ''Libro quarto di toccate, ricercari, capricci, allemande, gigue, courante, sarabande''

Opera

• ''The Siege of Rhodes''

Births

• May 31 – Marin Marais, viol player and composer
• September 9 – Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, composer
• November 3 – Georg Reutter, theorbo player and composer
• date unknown
• *Jean-Baptiste Moreau, composer
• *Johann Paul von Westhoff, violinist and composer

Deaths

• June 9 – Thomas Tomkins, composer
• July – Michelangelo Rossi, violinist and composer
• November 6 – King John IV of Portugal, patron of music and the arts, writer on music and amateur composer
• date unknown
• *Andrea Falconieri, lutenist and composer
• *Francesco Turini, organist and composer