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1608 in music
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none December 2025
1608 music
The year 1608 in music involved some significant events and new musical works.
Events
February 9 – The masque The Hue and Cry After Cupid, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace. The masque features the music of Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger.Chambers, E. K. The Elizabethan Stage. 4 Volumes, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1923.
June 4 – Claudio Monteverdi's latest work, Il ballo delle ingrate, is given its first performance in Mantua as part of the wedding celebrations for Francesco Gonzaga (the son of Monteverdri's patron Duke Vincenzo of Mantua) and Margaret of Savoy. Paolo Fabbri Monteverdi, translated by Tim Carter (Cambridge University Press, 1994) p.99 In the same year, Monteverdi asks to be allowed to resign his post with the Gonzaga family.
Classical music
none listed
Publications
Giovanni Francesco Anerio – Second book of madrigals for five and six voices (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
Costanzo Antegnati – it L'Antegnata, Op. 16 (Venice: Angelo Gardano e fratelli), a collection of intabulated ricercars for the organ
Adriano Banchieri – it Festino nella sera del giovedi grasso avanti cena, Op. 18 (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino), a madrigal comedy
Giulio Belli – la Missae sacrae for four, five, six, and eight voices with continuo (Venice: Angelo Gardano e fratelli)
Antonio Cifra – Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Giacomo Vincenti)
Christoph Demantius – la Conviviorum deliciae for six voices and instruments (Nuremberg: Balthasar Scherff for David Kauffmann), a collection of dance music
Juan Esquivel Barahona
First book of masses (Salamanca: Arti Taberniel)
la Motecta festorum et dominicarum cum communi sanctorum for four, five, six, and eight voices (Salamanca: Arti Taberniel)
Melchior Franck
de Geistliche Gesäng und Melodeyen (Sacred Songs and Melodies) for five, six, and eight voices (Coburg: Justus Hauck), mostly setting texts from the Song of Songs
de Neue Musicalische Intraden for various instruments but especially violas, in six parts (Nuremberg: David Kauffmann)
la Cantica gratulatoria for five voices (Coburg: Kaspar Bertsch), a wedding song
de Der CXXI. Psalm for five voices (Coburg: Kaspar Bertsch), a setting of Psalm 121
de Neues Echo for eight voices (Coburg: Justus Hauck)
la Dialogus metricus for seven voices (Coburg: Justus Hauck), a Christmas motet
Girolamo Frescobaldi
it Il primo libro de' madrigali
it Primo libro delle fantasie
Marco da Gagliano – Fifth book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano e fratelli)
Bartholomäus Gesius – la Dictum ex Psalmo XXXIIII. De excubiis et custodia Angelorum for six voices (Frankfurt an der Oder: Friedrich Hartmann), a wedding motet
Gioseffo Guami – Second book of motets for choir and instruments (Milan: heirs of Agostino Tradate)
Pierre Guédron – fr Airs de cours for four and five voices (Paris: Pierre Ballard)
Cesario Gussago – Sonatas for four, six, and eight (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino)
Hans Leo Hassler – de Kirchengesäng for four voices (Nuremberg: Paul Kauffmann), a collection of sacred songs
Sigismondo d'India – First book of it villanelle alla napolitana for three voices (Naples: Giovanni Giacomo Carlino & Costantino Vitale)
Robert Jones – Ultimum vale, with a triplicity of musicke...
Claude Le Jeune
Second book of 50 psalms for three voices (Paris: Pierre Ballard), published posthumously
Airs for three, four, five, and six voices (Paris: Pierre Ballard), published posthumously
Second book of airs for three, four, five, and six voices (Paris: Pierre Ballard), published posthumously
Claudio Merulo – Third book of it ricercari da cantare for four voices (Venice: Angelo Gardano & fratelli), published posthumously
Pomponio Nenna – Seventh book of madrigals for five voices (Naples: Giovanni Battista Sotile)
Asprilio Pacelli – la Sacrae cantiones, book 1 (Venice, Angelo Gardano e fratelli)
Franciscus Pappus – la Sacrae cantiones, book 1 (Milan: Simon Tini & Filippo Lomazzo)
Vincenzo Passerini – Second book of madrigals for five voices (Venice: Ricciardo Amadino)
Orfeo Vecchi – la Cantiones sacrae for five voices (Antwerp: Pierre Phalèse), published posthumously
Thomas Weelkes – Ayeres Or Phantasticke Spirites for three voices
Opera
Claudio Monteverdi – L'Arianna (mostly lost)
Marco da Gagliano – La Dafne
Births
date unknown – Francisco Lopez Capillas, Mexican composer (died 1674)
Deaths
October 26 – Philipp Nicolai, composer (born 1556)
date unknown
Luca Bati, composer (born 1546)
Peter Lupo, court musician and composer, son of Ambrose Lupo
Simone Verovio, printer of music books
References