- Feb 25 Marco da Gagliano, Italian opera composer, dies at 60
- Mar 1 Girolamo Frescobaldi, Italian keyboard virtuoso (organist at St. Peter's Basilica, 1608-28 and 1634-43), and late Renaissance/early Baroque dies at 59
- Apr 20 Christoph Demantius, German composer, dies at 75
- Nov 29 Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer and pioneer in development of opera (L'Orfeo,espro della Beata Vergine), dies at 76