Events

• Mikołaj Gomółka leaves the Polish royal court for Kraków.
• Orlande de Lassus succeeding Ludwig Daser as maestro di cappella to Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria.
• Nicola Vicentino becomes maestro di cappella at Vicenza Cathedral.

Publications

• Giovanni Animuccia – First book of laudi (Rome: Valerio Dorico)
• Severin Cornet – Canzoni napolitane for four voices (Antwerp: Jean Laet)
• Gallus Dressler – Praecepta musicae poeticae (MS)
• Giulio Fiesco – Madrigals for four and five voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto), also includes four dialogues, two for seven voice and two for eight voices
• Vincenzo Galilei – First book of intavolature de lauto (Rome: Valerio Dorico), a collection of lute music, including madrigals and ricercars, by various composers
• Francisco Guerrero – Magnificats in all eight tones (Leuven: Pierre Phalèse)
• Orlande de Lassus – Third book of madrigals for five voices (Rome: Antonio Barré)
• Nicolaus Listenius – Rudimenta Musicae Planae
• Francesco Portinaro – First book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Girolamo Scotto)

Classical music

• Antonino Barges – Two motets^{[ vague]}

Births

• date unknown
  • John Dowland, English Renaissance composer, singer and lutenist (d. 1626)
  • Cornelis Verdonck, Flemish composer of madrigals (d. 1625)
• approximate date
  • Giles Farnaby, English composer, perhaps from Truro, Cornwall (d. 1640)
  • Andreas Raselius, German composer (d. 1602)

Deaths

• February 2 – Hans Neusidler, composer (b. c. 1508)
• August 11 – Bartolomé de Escobedo, composer (b. c. 1515)
• date unknown
  • Thomas Appleby, church musician and composer (b. c. 1488)
  • Francesco Cellavenia, composer
  • Francisco de Soto, organist and composer (b. c. 1500)
  • Thomas Preston, organist and composer