1579 in music

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) – (Mühlhausen: George Hantzsch)
• Johannes de Cleve – 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 – for four voices (Brescia: Vincenzo Sabbio)
• Stefano Felis – First book of madrigals for six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
• Eucharius Hoffmann – for four voices (Rostock: Augustin Ferber)
• Fernando de las Infantas
• , book three, for six voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
• (Venice: Girolamo Scotto), a book of counterpoint exercises
• Marc'Antonio Ingegneri – Second book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
• Ondřej Chrysoponus Jevíčský – (Prague: Georg Nigrinus)
• Orlando di Lasso –
• 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
• 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