1578 in music explained

Events

• Autumn – Pope Gregory XIII's plans for a corrected edition of the Latin: [[Graduale Romanum]] is abandoned due to lack of funds.^[1]
• Bernardino Bertolotti becomes a court musician of the Este family at Ferrara.

Publications

• Costanzo Antegnati – First book of masses for six and eight voices (Venice: Angleo Gardano)
• Giammateo Asola – Latin: [[Vespers|Vespertina]] omnium [[solemnity|solemnitatum]] [[Psalms|psalmodia]] (Venice: Angelo Gardano), also includes two Magnificats
• Lodovico Balbi – Latin: Ecclesiasticarum cantionum for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
• Paolo Bellasio – First book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
• Antoine de Bertrand
  • First book of French: Les Amours de Pierre Ronsard for four voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard), a chanson cycle setting texts by Ronsard
  • Second book of French: Les Amours de Pierre Ronsard for three voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
  • Third book of chansons for four voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
• Joachim a Burck
  • Latin: Crepundia sacra for four voices (Mühlhausen: Georg Hantzsch), settings of hymns by Ludwig Helmbold
  • Latin: Sacrarum odarum, Ludovici Helmboldi Mulhusini (Sacred odes of Ludwig Helmbold of Mühlhausen), book two (Mühlhausen: Georg Hantzsch), a collection of hymn settings
• Antonio de Cabezón – Spanish; Castilian: Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela (Madrid: Francisco Sanchez), a collection of instrumental arrangements of pieces by various composers, published posthumously by his son Hernando
• Fabrice Caietain – Second book of French: airs, chansons, villanelles, napolitaines & espagnolles for four voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
• Ludwig Daser – Latin: Patrocinium musices for four voices (Munich: Adam Berg), a setting of the Passion
• Johannes Eccard – German: Neue deutzsche Lieder (New German Songs) for four and five voices (Mühlhausen: Georg Hantzsch)
• George de la Hèle – 8 Masses for five, six, and seven voices (Antwerp: Christophe Plantin)
• Fernando de las Infantas
  • Latin: Sacrarum varii styli cantionum tituli Spiritus sancti, book one, for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
  • Latin: Sacrarum varii styli cantionum tituli Spiritus sancti, book two, for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
• Giorgio Mainerio – Italian: Il primo libro de' balli for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
• Tiburtio Massaino
  • First book of masses for five and six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
  • Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
• Claudio Merulo
  • First book of motets for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
  • Second book of motets for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
• Philippe de Monte – Seventh book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
• Andreas Pevernage – Latin: Cantiones aliquot sacrae for six, seven, and eight voices (Douai: Jean Bogard)
• Costanzo Porta – First book of masses for four, five, and six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)

Classical music

• Jan Trojan Turnovský – Latin: Missa super Jerusalem cito veniet

Births

• December 2 – Agostino Agazzari, Sienese composer (d. 1640)

Deaths

• probable – Francesco Portinaro, composer and humanist (b. c. 1520)

Notes and References

1. Harry B. Lincoln, "Zoilo, Annibale", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).