- Feb 9 Ferdinando Carulli, Italian classical guitar composer (Méthode, Op. 27), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples, House of Habsburg (now Italy) (d. 1841)
- Feb 18 Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck, composer
- Feb 22 Jan Matyas Nepomuk August Vitasek, composer
- Feb 26 Antoine Reicha, Czech born French composer and teacher, friend of Beethoven, born in Prague (d. 1836)
- Mar 25 Carl Friedrich Ebers, German composer and arranger, born in Kassel (d. 1836)
- Apr 19 Georg Abraham Schneider, German horn player and composer, born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1839)
- May 19 Antoine-Charles Glachant, composer
- Jun 4 James Hewitt, American composer and conductor, born in Dartmoor, England (d. 1827)
- Sep 19 Johann Georg Repsold, German instrument maker and astronomer, born in Wremen, Wurster Nordseeküste, Germany (d. 1830)
- Nov 8 Friedrich Witt, German cellist and composer (Jena Symphony; The Suffering Saviour), born in Niederstetten, Germany (d. 1836)
- Nov 29 Peter Hänsel, German-Austrian violinist and composer, born in Leppe, Silesia Province (d. 1831)
- Dec 13 John Clarke-Whitfeld, English organist and composer, born in Gloucester, England (d. 1836)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Dec 16 German composer (5th Symphony; Ode to Joy), born in Bonn, Electorate of Cologne
- Dec 17 Johann Friedrich Schubert, German composer, born in Rudolstadt, Germany (d. 1811)