This is a list of notable events in music that took place in 1551.

• Pope Julius III brings his protégé Palestrina to Rome as maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia at St. Peter's Basilica.
• Famous confrontation between Nicola Vicentino and Vicente Lusitano about Greek diatonic, chromatic and enharmonic genera.
• Giralamo Parabosco elected first organist at St Mark's, Venice
• The music printing and publishing company Le Roy & Ballard was founded in Paris by cousins Adrian Le Roy and Robert Ballard
  • August 14 – Le Roy & Ballard obtain royal privilege to print music from Henry II
• Francisco Guerrero appointed voce-maestro de capilla at Seville Cathedral
• Cristobal Morales appointed maestro di capilla at Malaga Cathedral
• Loys Bourgeois imprisoned in Geneva for changing psalm tunes without a license. He was released following John Calvin's personal intervention

• Giovanni Animuccia – Second book of madrigals for five voices (Rome: Antonio Blado)
• Constanzo Festa – First book of madrigals for three voices, published posthumously
• Claude Goudimel – First book of psalms for three, four, and five voices (Paris: Nicolas du Chemin)
• Adrian Le Roy – Book of lute arrangements Premier Livre de Tablature de Luth (Paris: Le Roy and Ballard)
• Tielman Susato – Collection of dance music Het derde musyck boexken alderhande dansyerye was published in Antwerp

• Johann Walter – Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ

• October 8 – Giulio Caccini, Italian composer (died 1618)
• probable – Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian organist and composer (died 1601)
• approx. year – Paolo Virchi, Italian composer, viol player and organist (died 1610)
• approx. year – Sebastian de Vivanco, Spanish composer, priest and teacher (died 1622)

• date unknown – Albert de Rippe, Italian lutenist and composer (born c.1500)
• Johannes Wannenmacher, German composer
• August 12 – Paul Speratus, theologian and hymn writer
• November – Juan Alvarez de Almorox, died in Segovia
• approx. year – Jean L'Heritier, composer and singer, died probably in northern Italy