1579 in music
Events
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Publications
- Costanzo Antegnati – First book of masses for four voices (Brescia: Vincenzo Sabbio)
- Ippolito Baccusi
- First book of motets, for five, six, and eight voices (Venice: Francesco Rampazatto)
- Third book of madrigals for six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Joachim a Burck (March 21) – {{lang|de|Ein christlich Lied...}} (Mühlhausen: George Hantzsch)
- Johannes de Cleve – {{lang|la|Cantiones seu harmoniae sacrae}} for four, five, six, seven, eight, and ten voices (Augsburg: Philipp Ulhard & Andreas Reinheckel)
- Nicolao Dorati – First book of madrigals for six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Giovanni Dragoni – Third book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
- Placido Falconio – {{lang|la|Psalmodia vespertina}} for four voices (Brescia: Vincenzo Sabbio)
- Stefano Felis – First book of madrigals for six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Eucharius Hoffmann – {{lang|de|Vyff geistlike olde Ostergesenge}} for four voices (Rostock: Augustin Ferber)
- Fernando de las Infantas
- {{lang|la|Sacrarum varii styli cantionum tituli Spiritus sancti}}, book three, for six voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
- {{lang|la|Plura modulationum genera}} (Venice: Girolamo Scotto), a book of counterpoint exercises
- Marc'Antonio Ingegneri – Second book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Ondřej Chrysoponus Jevíčský – {{lang|la|Bicinia nova}} (Prague: Georg Nigrinus)
- Orlando di Lasso – {{lang|it|Corona di Madrigali}}
- Giovanni de Macque – Madrigals for four, five, and six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Claudio Merulo – First book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Philippe de Monte
- {{lang|la|Missa Benedicta es}} for six voices (Antwerp: Christophe Plantin)
- Fifth book of motets for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
- Benedetto Pallavicino – First book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
Births
- date unknown – John Amner, composer and choirmaster at Ely Cathedral (died 1641)
- probable – Melchior Franck, composer (died 1639)
Deaths
- date unknown – Miguel de Fuenllana, composer (born c.1500)
- probable – David Peebles, composer