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 (Venice: Angleo Gardano)
 * Giammateo Asola – Vespertina omnium solemnitatum psalmodia (Venice: Angelo Gardano), also includes two Magnificats
 * Lodovico Balbi – Ecclesiasticarum cantionum for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Paolo Bellasio – First book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
 * Antoine de Bertrand
 * First book of Les Amours de Pierre Ronsard for four voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard), a chanson cycle setting texts by Ronsard
 * Second book of Les Amours de Pierre Ronsard for three voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
 * Third book of chansons for four voices (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
 * Joachim a Burck
 * Crepundia sacra for four voices (Mühlhausen: Georg Hantzsch), settings of hymns by Ludwig Helmbold
 * Sacrarum odarum, Ludovici Helmboldi Mulhusini (Sacred odes of Ludwig Helmbold of Mühlhausen), book two (Mühlhausen: Georg Hantzsch), a collection of hymn settings
 * Antonio de Cabezón – Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela (Madrid: Francisco Sanchez), 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 (Paris: Le Roy & Ballard)
 * Ludwig Daser – Patrocinium musices for four voices (Munich: Adam Berg), a setting of the Passion
 * Johannes Eccard – Neue deutzsche Lieder (New German Songs) for four and five voices (Mühlhausen: Georg Hantzsch)
 * George de la Hèle – 8 Masses for five, six, and seven voices (Antwerp: Christophe Plantin)
 * Fernando de las Infantas
 * Sacrarum varii styli cantionum tituli Spiritus sancti, book one, for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Sacrarum varii styli cantionum tituli Spiritus sancti, book two, for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
 * Giorgio Mainerio – Il primo libro de' balli for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Tiburtio Massaino
 * First book of masses for five and six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
 * Claudio Merulo
 * First book of motets for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Second book of motets for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Philippe de Monte – Seventh book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Andreas Pevernage – Cantiones aliquot sacrae for six, seven, and eight voices (Douai: Jean Bogard)
 * Costanzo Porta – First book of masses for four, five, and six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)

Classical music

 * Jan Trojan Turnovský – Missa super Jerusalem cito veniet

Births

 * December 2 – Agostino Agazzari, Sienese composer (d. 1640)

Deaths

 * probable – Francesco Portinaro, composer and humanist (b. c. 1520)