Events

• Philippe de Monte becomes Kapellmeister for the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian II.
• Second recorded Eisteddfod, at Caerwys in Wales.
• Antonio Scandello becomes Kapellmeister at the court of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden.
• Girolamo Dalla Casa and his two brothers are hired as musicians at St Mark's Basilica, Venice.

Publications

• Giovanni Animuccia – Canticum Beatae Mariae Virginis (Rome: Valerio and Luigi Dorico)
• Joachim a Burck – Die deutsche Passion (Wittenberg: Johann Schwertel)
• Maddalena Casulana – First book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto), the first printed book of music by a woman in history.
• Pierre Certon – Missa Christus resurgens for four voices (Paris: Nicolas Du Chemin)
• Baldassare Donato – Second book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
• Vincenzo Galilei – Fronimo Dialogo (Venice: Girolamo Scotto), an instructional book for playing, composing and arranging vocal music for lute.
• Paolo Isnardi
  • Masses for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
  • First book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
• Orlande de Lassus – Selectissimae cantiones for four, five, six, and more voices (Nuremberg: Theodor Gerlach)
• Claudio Merulo – Messe d'intavolatura d'organo, book four (Venice), a collection of masses arranged for organ
• Francesco Portinaro
  • Le vergine for six voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)
  • Second book of motets for six, seven, and eight voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
• Cipriano de Rore
  • Gli amorosi concenti, a posthumous collection of madrigals
  • Il quinto libro de madrigali, posthumous second, expanded edition (first edition: 1566)

Classical music

Births

• February 29 – Juan Bautista Comes, composer (died 1643)
• September 3 – Adriano Banchieri, Italian composer (died 1634)
• date unknown – Christian Erbach, organist and composer (died 1635)

Deaths

• June 5 – Lamoral, Count of Egmont, subject of Goethe's play and Beethoven's overture (born 1522; executed)
• October 14 – Jacques Arcadelt, Flemish composer (born 1514/1515)
• November 12 – Georg Forster, composer (born 1510)