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) – Ein christlich Lied... (Mühlhausen: George Hantzsch)
 * Johannes de Cleve – Cantiones seu harmoniae sacrae 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 – Psalmodia vespertina for four voices (Brescia: Vincenzo Sabbio)
 * Stefano Felis – First book of madrigals for six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Eucharius Hoffmann – Vyff geistlike olde Ostergesenge for four voices (Rostock: Augustin Ferber)
 * Fernando de las Infantas
 * Sacrarum varii styli cantionum tituli Spiritus sancti, book three, for six voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
 * Plura modulationum genera (Venice: Girolamo Scotto), a book of counterpoint exercises
 * Marc'Antonio Ingegneri – Second book of madrigals for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Ondřej Chrysoponus Jevíčský – Bicinia nova (Prague: Georg Nigrinus)
 * Orlando di Lasso – Corona di Madrigali
 * 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
 * Missa Benedicta es 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