1594 in music

	… 1584; 1585; 1586; 1587; 1588; 1589; 1590; ; 1591; 1592; 1593; 1594; 1595; 1596; 1597; ; 1598; 1599; 1600; 1601; 1602; 1603; 1604 …;
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Events

Thomas Ravenscroft joins the choir of St Paul's Cathedral, London.
Alfonso Fontanelli and Carlo Gesualdo visit Venice, Florence, Naples, and Venosa.
Sethus Calvisius becomes Thomaskantor in Leipzig.

Publications

Ippolito Baccusi
- Psalmi omnes qui in vesperis a Romana Ecclesia decantantur for four voices, books 2 & 3 (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino), also includes a Magnificat
- First book of madrigals for three voices (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino)
Girolamo Belli – Sacrae cantiones cum B. V. cantico (Motets and a Magnificat) for ten voices (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino), also includes a mass for eight voices
Valerio Bona – Masses and motets for three voices (Milan: Francesco & Simon Tini), also includes a Magnificat for six voices
Sethus Calvisius – Hymni sacri latini et germanici (Sacred hymns in Latin and German) for four voices (Erfurt: Georg Baumann)
Giovanni Croce
- First book of motets for eight voices (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
- Novi pensieri musicali (New musical thoughts) for five voices (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
Christoph Demantius – Epithalamium honori nuptiarum Dn. Andreae Goldbeckii cum foemina Anna Christophori Reichij relicta vidua (Leipzig: Zacharias Berwald), a wedding song
Scipione Dentice – First book of motets for five voices (Rome: Francesco Coattino)
Giovanni Dragoni – Fourth book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
Johannes Eccard
- Epithalamion (Was Gott für hat) for five voices (Königsberg: George Osterberg), a wedding song
- Dilexi sapientiam for five voices (Königsberg: George Osterberg), a graduation song
Carlo Gesualdo
- First book of madrigals for five voices (Ferrara: Vittorio Baldini)
- Second book of madrigals for five voices (Ferrara: Vittorio Baldini)
Adam Gumpelzhaimer – Neue Teutsche Geistliche Lieder (New German Sacred Songs) for four voices (Augsburg: Valentin Schönigk)
Johannes Herold – Historia, deß Leidens unnd Sterbens unsers Herrn und Haylandts Jesu Christu auß dem H. Euangelisten Mattheo for six voices (Grätz: Georg Widmanstetter)
Paolo Isnardi – Missa cum motteto for eight voices (Venice: heirs of Girolamo Scotto)
Orlande de Lassus – Motets for six voices (Graz: Georg Widmanstetter)
Claude Le Jeune – Airs for four and five voices (Paris: Adrian Le Roy and the widow of R. Ballard)
Luzzasco Luzzaschi – Fourth book of madrigals for five voices (Ferrara: Vittorio Baldini)
Luca Marenzio – Sixth book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
Tiburtio Massaino – Fourth book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
Rinaldo del Mel
- Fifth book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
- Third book of madrigaletti for three voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
Claudio Merulo – Sacrorum concentuum, book one for eight, ten, twelve, and sixteen voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
Philippe de Monte – Eighth book of madrigals for six voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano)
Thomas Morley – Madrigalls To Foure Voyces ... The First Booke (London: Thomas Este)
John Mundy – Songs and psalmes composed into 3. 4. and 5. parts (London: Thomas Este)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
- Sixth book of masses for four and five voices (Rome: Francesco Coattino)
- Seventh book of masses for four and five voices (Rome: Francesco Coattino)
Andreas Raselius – Teutscher Sprüche auss den sontäglichen Evangeliis durchs gantze Jar, first Evangelienmotetten cycle covering the whole year to be written in the German language

Classical music

Orlande de Lassus – Lagrime di San Pietro

Births

February 5 – Biagio Marini, violinist and composer (d. 1663)
September 13 – Francesco Manelli, Italian composer and theorbist (died 1667)

Deaths

February 2 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer (born c.1525)
June 14 – Orlande de Lassus, Flemish composer (born 1532)
July – Girolamo Mei, humanist and inspiration of the Florentine Camerata (b. 1519)
July 10 – Paolo Bellasio, organist and composer (b. 1554)