1578 in music

Events

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

  Publications

• Costanzo Antegnati – First book of masses for six and eight voices
• Giammateo Asola – Vespers, also includes two Magnificats
• Lodovico Balbi – Ecclesiasticarum cantionum for four voices
• Paolo Bellasio – First book of madrigals for five voices
• Antoine de Bertrand
• *First book of Les Amours de Pierre Ronsard for four voices, a chanson cycle setting texts by Ronsard
• *Second book of Les Amours de Pierre Ronsard for three voices
• *Third book of chansons for four voices
• Joachim a Burck
• *Crepundia sacra for four voices, settings of hymns by Ludwig Helmbold
• *Sacrarum odarum, Ludovici Helmboldi Mulhusini, book two, a collection of hymn settings
• Antonio de Cabezón – Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela, a collection of instrumental arrangements of pieces by various composers, published posthumously by his son Hernando
• Fabrice Caietain – Second book of airs, chansons, villanelles, napolitaines & espagnolles for four voices
• Giorgio Mainerio – Il primo libro de' balli

  Classical music

• Jan Trojan Turnovský – Missa super Jerusalem cito veniet

  Births

• December 2 – Agostino Agazzari, Sienese composer

  Deaths

• probable – Francesco Portinaro, composer and humanist