1612 in music

The year 1612 in music involved some significant events.

Events

 * July – Claudio Monteverdi is dismissed from his post at the court of Mantua by the new duke Francesco IV Gonzaga.
 * October 28 – John Dowland is appointed to a special post at the court of King James I of England.
 * December – The death of Francesco Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, fails to bring a recall to court for Claudio Monteverdi.

Publications

 * Adriano Banchieri – Moderna armonia di canzoni alla francese, Op. 26 (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino), a collection for four instruments
 * Antonio Brunelli – Prato di sacri fiori musicali (Meadow of sacred musical flowers) for one voice and eight voices with continuo, Op. 7 (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
 * Sethus Calvisius – Bicinia book two (Leipzig: Jacob Apel), an expanded edition of book one from 1599
 * Antonio Cifra – Fifth book of motets for two, three, and four voices, Op. 11 (Rome: Giovanni Battista Robletti)
 * William Corkine – The second book of ayres, some, to sing and play to the base-violl alone: others, to be sung to the lute and base violl (London: Matthew Lownes, John Brown, Thomas Snodham for William Barley), also includes pieces for the lyra viol
 * Giovanni Croce – Sacre cantilene for three, five, and six voices with a four-part ripieno (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
 * Ignazio Donati – Sacri concentus for one, two, three, four, and five voices (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
 * John Dowland – A Pilgrimes solace for three, four, and five voices (London: Matthew Lownes, John Brown, Thomas Snodham for William Barley)
 * Giacomo Finetti – Concerti for four voices with organ bass (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Melchior Franck
 * Ein schöner Text Auß dem Ersten Capitel Syrachs for five voices (Coburg: Justus Hauck), a wedding song
 * Suspira musica (Musical Sigh) for four voices (Coburg: Justus Hauck), a collection of motets
 * Bartholomäus Gesius – Gratulatio musica in lauream doctoralem Jacobi Schickfusii for five voices (Brieg), a graduation song
 * Orlando Gibbons – The First Set Of Madrigals and Motetts of 5. Parts: apt for Viols and Voyces (London: Thomas Snodham for William Barley)
 * Konrad Hagius – First book of Etlicher Teutscher Geistlicher Psalmen und Gesängen for four, five, and six voices (Frankfurt: Wolfgang Richter)
 * Hans Leo Hassler – Sacri concentus Book 2, published in Augsburg.
 * Joachim van den Hove – Delitiae musicae (Utrecht: Salomon de Roy & Johannes Guilielmus de Rhenen), a collection of lute music
 * Sigismondo d'India – Second book of villanelle alla napolitana for three, four, and five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
 * Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger
 * First book of motetti passagiatti for one voice (Rome)
 * First book of arie passagiatti for one voice with theorbo (Rome)
 * Claude Le Jeune – Second livre des meslanges (Paris: Pierre Ballard), a collection of chansons, published posthumously
 * Simone Molinaro – Concerti for one and two voices (Milan: Simon Tini & Francesco Lomazzo)
 * Giovanni Bernardino Nanino
 * Third book of motets for one, two, three, four, and five voices with organ bass (Rome: Bartolomeo Zannetti for Christophoro Margarina)
 * Third book of madrigals for five voices (Rome: Bartolomeo Zannetti)
 * Pietro Pace – Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice, Giacomo Vincenti)
 * Benedetto Pallavicino – Eighth book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino), published posthumously
 * Tomaso Pecci - Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano), published posthumously
 * Peter Philips – Cantiones Sacrae Quinis Vocibus (Antwerp: Pierre Phalèse)
 * Michael Praetorius – Terpsichore, a set of Renaissance dances.
 * probable
 * Parthenia, a collection of keyboard music by William Byrd, John Bull, and Orlando Gibbons

Opera

 * none recorded

Births

 * date unknown
 * Wolfgang Ebner, organist and court composer (died 1665)
 * John Hingston, organist, viol player and composer (died 1683)
 * Vincenzo Tozzi, opera composer (died c. 1679)

Deaths

 * June 8 – Hans Leo Hassler, German composer (born 1564)
 * August 12 – Giovanni Gabrieli, composer and organist (born c.1555)
 * September – Giovanni de' Bardi, writer and composer (born 1534)
 * September 24 – Johannes Lippius, theologian, philosopher, composer, and music theorist (born 1585)
 * date unknown
 * Ercole Bottrigari, writer and composer (born 1531)
 * Tomasz Szadek, Polish composer and singer (born 1550)