1581 in music
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Events
- October 15 – Performance of Ballet Comique de la Reine, the first narrative ballet (incorporating the story of Circe), devised by Louise of Lorraine, wife of Henry III of France, with music by the royal master of music Jacques Salmon and the bass singer Girard de Beaulieu and choreography by Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, opens at the court of Catherine de' Medici in the Louvre Palace in Paris as part of the wedding celebrations for Marguerite of Lorraine.
- Ginés Pérez de la Parra becomes composer and musical director at Orihuela cathedral.
- Marc'Antonio Ingegneri becomes maestro di cappella of Cremona cathedral.
Publications
Music
- Luca Marenzio – Second book of madrigals a5
- Philippe de Monte – Fourth book of madrigals a4
Other
- Fabritio Caroso – Il Ballerino, Italian dance manual, containing much dance music
- Vincenzo Galilei – Dialogo della musica antica, et della moderna (Dialogue Concerning Ancient and Modern Music)
Classical music
- Approximate date – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Canticum Canticorum ("Song of Songs")
Births
- July 2 – Johann Staden, German organist and composer (d. 1634)
Deaths
- May 7 – Alexander Utendal, Flemish composer (born 1543/45)
- date unknown – Joachim Thibault de Courville, French composer, singer, lutenist and player of the lyre
- probable – Antoine de Bertrand (born 1530/1540)