Events

• August 10 – A precursor of the Royal Artillery Mounted Band makes its first recorded appearance at the Battle of St. Quentin with "drumme and phife".
• Hoste da Reggio replaces Simon Boyleau as maestro di cappella at Milan Cathedral.

Publications

• Martin Agricola – Melodiae scholasticae sub horarum intervallis decantandae (Wittenberg: Georg Rhau), music used at the Protestant school in Magdeburg, published posthumously
• Jacques Arcadelt – 3 Masses (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
• Filippo Azzaiolo (published anonymously) – Villotte del fiore: il primo libro de villotte alla padoana con alcune napolitane, for four voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
• Jacob Clemens non Papa
  • Second book of masses: Missa Virtute magna for four voices (Leuven: Pierre Phalèse), published posthumously
  • Third book of masses: Missa En espoir for four voices (Leuven: Pierre Phalèse), published posthumously
  • Fourth book of masses: Missa Ecce quam bonum for five voices (Leuven: Pierre Phalèse), published posthumously
  • Fifth book of masses: Missa Gaude lux donatione for five voices (Leuven: Pierre Phalèse), published posthumously
  • Sixth book of masses: Missa Caro mea for five voices (Leuven: Pierre Phalèse), published posthumously
  • Souterliedekens IIII for three voices (Antwerp: Tielman Susato), settings of Psalms and other hymns in Dutch, published posthumously
• Pierre Clereau – Missa Virginis Mariae for four voices (Paris: Nicolas Du Chemin)
• Claude Goudimel – Third book of psalms for four and five voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
• Jacobus de Kerle – Motets for four and five voices (Rome: Valerio Dorico)
• Orlande de Lassus – Second book of madrigals for five voices (Rome: Antoine Barré)
• Jean Maillard
  • Patrem for eight voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard), a setting of the Credo
  • Missa Virginis Mariae for five voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
• Jan Nasco
  • Canzonas and madrigals for six voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
  • Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano)
• Dominique Phinot – Missa Si bona suscepimus for four voices (Paris: Nicolas du Chemin)
• Francesco Portinaro – Third book of madrigals for five and six voices (Venice: Antonio Gardano), also includes dialogs for seven and eight voices
• Cipriano de Rore
  • Second Book of Madrigals in Four Parts
  • Fourth Book of Madrigals in Five Parts

Classical music

Births

• February 15 – Alfonso Fontanelli, composer, writer and nobleman (died 1622)
• September 16 – Jacques Mauduit, composer (died 1627)
• date unknown – Giovanni Croce, composer (died 1609)
• probable – Thomas Morley, composer, theorist, editor and organist (died 1602)

Deaths

• April 21 – Girolamo Parabosco, composer, organist and poet (born 1524)^[1]
• probable
  • Thomas Crecquillon, Franco-Flemish composer (born 1505)
  • Nicholas Ludford, composer of masses (born c.1485)^[2]