The decade of the 1530s in music (years 1530–1539) involved some significant events, publications, compositions, births, and deaths.

Events

• 1532: Thomas Tallis takes his first known musical appointment, as organist at Dover Priory.^[1]
• 1533: Claudin de Sermisy appointed a canon at Sainte-Chapelle in Paris
• 1534: Nicolas Gombert appointed a canon of Notre-Dame in Tournai
• 1535: Cristobal Morales joins the papal choir at St Peter's basilica, Rome
• 1536: Pierre Certon appointed Master of the Choristers at Sainte Chapelle in Paris.
• 1538: Tallis moves from Dover to Waltham Abbey.
• Thomas Appleby appointed organist and choirmaster at Lincoln Cathedral
• 1539: Joan Brudieu appointed maestro di capilla at la Seu d'Urgell Cathedral in Catalonia, a position he held until his death (bar a couple of gaps) until his death in 1591.

Publications

1530

• Madrigali de diversi musici: libro primo de la Serena (Rome: Valerio Dorico). The first book of madrigals to be identified by that name. The majority of pieces are by Philippe Verdelot.

1532

• Carpentras
  • First book of masses (Avignon: Jean de Channay)
  • Lamentations for five voices (Avignon: Jean de Channay)
• Hans Gerle – Musica Teusch (Nuremberg: Hieronymous Formschneider), an instructional book for playing and arranging for the viola, rebec, and lute
• Sebald Heyden – De arte canendi: Rudimenta,^[2] first installment of an important treatise on singing

1533

• Hans Gerle - 2nd collection of lute music Tabulatur auff die Laudten published in Nuremberg. It included arrangements of pieces by Jean Mouton, Josquin and Jacob Obrecht
• Clement Janequin – Vingt et quatre chansons musicales...composes par maistre CL Janequin published by Pierre Attaignant in Paris
• Philippe Verdelot – First book of madrigals for four voices, published by Ottaviano Scotto in Venice

1534

• Philippe Verdelot – Second book of madrigals for four voices, published by Scotto in Venice

1535

• Silvestro Ganassi dal Fontego – Opera intitulata Fontegara, a treatise on recorder playing, published in Venice
• Philippe Verdelot – First book of madrigals for five voices, published by Scotto in Venice

1536

• Sebastian z Felsztyna – treatise 'De Musica Dialogi VI'
• Luis de Milán – El Maestro (Valencia: Francisco Diaz Romano), the first collection of music for the vihuela
• Francesco da Milano – Five volumes of lute music published in Milan
• Hans Neusidler – Two books of lute music, Ein newgeordent künstlich Lautenbuch and Der ander Theil des Lautenbuchs.

1537

• Carpentras – August 25: Libro de canti a tre (Book of songs for three voices) (Rome: Valerio & Luigi Dorico)
• Sebald Heyden – De arte canendi, second installment, important treatise on singing
• Clement Janequin – Les Chansons de la Guerre, La Chasse, Le Chant des Oyseaux, L'Alouette, Le Rossignol, published by Pierre Attaignment in Paris
• Philippe Verdelot – Second book of madrigals for five voices published by Scotto in Venice

1538

• Luis de Narváez – Los seys libros del Delphin (Valladolid: Diego Hernandez), a large collection of lute music
• Philippe Verdelot – Le dotte, et eccellente compositioni...
• Ein Hubsch new Gesangbuch, the first Protestant hymn-book, published in Ulm.

1539

• Jacques Arcadelt
  • First book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano), the most reprinted madrigal book of the sixteenth century
  • Second book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
  • Third book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)
  • Fourth book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
• Noel Bauldeweyn – Missa da Pacem (Nuremberg: Ott, RISM 1539²). Published under the name of Josquin des Prez.^[3]
• Jean Calvin – First edition of 'The Geneva Psalter'
• Alfonso dalla Viola – First book of madrigals for four voices (Ferrara: Henrico De Campis & Antonio Hucher for Giovanni De Buglhat)
• Georg Forster – First volume of his 'Fresh German Songs' published in Nuremberg
• Nicolas Gombert
  • First book of motets for four voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)
  • First book of motets for five voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)
• Paul Hofhaimer – collection of musical settings of the odes of Horace 'Harmoniae Poeticae', published in Nuremberg
• Jacquet of Mantua
  • First book of motets for five voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)
  • First book of motets for four voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)
• Pierre de Manchicourt – Book 14: 19 Motets for four voices (Paris: Pierre Attaingnant & Hubert Jullet), the last volume in Attaingnant's motet series and the only one dedicated to a single composer

Classical music

1530

• We-Liang-Hu composed music for a play by 14th-century poet Gao Ming.

Sacred music

1533

• Nicolas Gombert – Cuis colis Ausoniam, motet for six voices to a text by Nicolaus Grudius, celebrating the treaty signed in Bologna by Emperor Charles V, Pope Clement VII, and several other Italian rulers

1539

• Johannes Heugel – Consolamini, popule meus, for eight voices, probably the earliest German composition for double choir^[4]
• Costanzo Festa – Hyntni per totum annum^[5]

Births

• c.1530: Juan Navarro, Spanish composer.
• c.1530: Nicolas de La Grotte, French composer and keyboard player.
• c.1530: Richard Farrant, English composer of church music, choirmaster, playwright and theatre producer (d.1580)
• c.1530: Guillaume Costeley, French composer and organist (died 1606)
• 1530: Teodora Ginés, Dominican musician and composer (died 1598)
• 1531: Ercole Bottrigari, Italian scholar, mathematician, poet, music theorist, architect and composer (died 1612)
• c.1520/31: Guillaume Costeley, French composer (died 1606)
• c.1531/32: Jacobus de Kerle, Flemish composer, organist, choirmaster and priest (d.1591)
• 1532: Hernando Franco, Spanish composer and choirmaster. The earliest known composer of music in Guatemala (d.1585)
  • December 5 – Nikolaus Selnecker, German theologian, hymn-writer, organist and cleric (d.1592)
  • February 19 – Jean-Antonie de Baif, French poet, co-founder of the Academie de Poesie et de Musique in Paris (d.1589)
  • January 21 – Ludwig Hembold, German poet and hymn writer (died 1598)
  • March 25 – Pietro Pontio, Italian theorist and composer (died 1596)
  • date unknown – Giammateo Asola, Italian composer (died 1609)
  • probable – Orlando de Lassus aka Roland de Latre, Franco-Flemish composer of late Renaissance music (died 1594)
• Adam Puschmann, German poet, songwriter and Meistersinger (died 1600)
• c.1532 David Koler, German composer and Kapellmeister (died 1565)
• c. 1530–40: Giorgio Mainerio, Italian composer (died 1582)
• 1533:
• c.1533 Laurent de Vos, Flemish composer, singer and musician. Murdered in Cambrai 1580.
• October 16 – Gallus Dressler, German composer, theorist and cantor. (died 1580s)
  • April 8 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist, composer and publisher (died 1604)^[6]
  • date unknown - Andrea Gabrieli, Italian composer and organist (died 1585)^[7]
• 1534: Lodovico Agostini, Italian composer (died 1590)
  • Giovanni De' Bardi, Italian writer, composer and soldier. Host and patron of the Florentine Camerata.
  • Lucas Osiander, German Protestant theologian and hymn composer. Born Nuremberg. (died 1604)
  • Fernando de Las Infantas, Spanish composer, theologian, priest and philanthropist. Born Cordoba. (died c.1610)
• c.1534 Christian Ameyden, Flemish composer, tenor and choirmaster. Born Aerschot, Belgium. (died 1605)
• 1535 Annibale Stabile, Italian composer, singer, choirmaster and priest. Born Naples. (died 1595)
  • c.1535
  • c.1535Cesare Negri, Italian dancing master (died c.1604)
  • c.1535Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, Italian composer, teacher and choirmaster.
  • Antoine de Bertrand, French composer (killed 1581)
  • Bernhard Schmid the Elder, German organist and music editor (died 1592)
  • Giaches de Wert, Flemish composer of Italian madrigals (died 1596)^[8]
  • probable – Innocentio Alberti, Italian instrumentalist and composer (died 1615)
• 1536: Zhu Zaiyu, Chinese prince, music theorist, scholar and writer (died 1611)
  • Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer, viol player and diplomat (died 1592)
• 1537: Johann Wanning, Dutch-born composer, kapellmeister and alto singer (died 1603)
  • Annibale Zoilo, Italian composer, singer and choirmaster (died 1592)
• 1538 Stefano Felis, Italian composer, singer and choirmaster (died 1603)
  • c.1538 Johannes Matelart, Flemish composer and choirmaster (died 1607))
  • c.1538 Robert White, English composer and choirmaster (died 1574)
• 1539
  • December 20 – Paulus Melissus, writer and composer (died 1602)^[9]
  • c.1539 Paschal de L'Estocart, French composer (died c.1587)
  • c.1539 Ippolito Tartaglino, Italian composer (died c.1580)

Deaths

• c.1530 Noel Bauldewijn, Flemish composer^[10]
• c.1530 Antonius Divitis, court composer of Louis XII of France^[11]
• 1533:
  • September 20 - Nicolas Champion, composer and singer, c.58^[12]
• c.1535:
  • Pedro de Escobar, c.70
  • Bartolomeo Tromboncino, c.65
• 1536:
  • May 17 – Mark Smeaton, English court musician, executed for alleged adultery with Anne Boleyn (born 1512)
  • June 26 – Pierre Alamire, German-Dutch music copyist, composer, instrumentalist, mining engineer, merchant, diplomat and spy (born 1470)
• 1537: Paul Hofhaimer, Austrian composer and organist (born 1459)
• 1538:
  • March – Hans Buchner, organist and composer, 54
  • October – Maistre Jhan, composer (born c.1485)
  • Richard Davy, composer (c.72), died in Exeter
• 1539:
  • December 12 – Bartolomeo degli Organi, composer, singer and organist, 64^[13]
  • December 20 – Johannes Lupi, composer (born c.1506)
  • Ottaviano Petrucci – printer and publisher
  • c.1539 Andrea Antico – publisher, editor and composer (c.59)
  • c.1539 Dionisio Memmo – Italian organist and choirmaster. Worked in the court of Henry VIII