- Jan 1 William Beale, English composer and baritone, born in Lankrake, Cornwall (d. 1854)
- Jan 27 Martin-Joseph Mengal, Belgian composer, conductor, and educator (Director of the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, 1835-51), born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1851)
- Jan 31 Carl Wilhelm Henning, German composer and conductor, born in Öls (d. 1867)
- Feb 3 John Fane, British politician, diplomat (11th Earl of Westmoreland), and composer (Royal Academy of Music, 1830), born in Piccadilly, London (d. 1859)
- Feb 27 Job Plimpton, American composer and organ builder, born in Medway, Massachusetts (d. 1863)
- Apr 5 Louis Spohr, German violin virtuoso and composer (Faust), born in Braunschweig, Germany (d. 1859)
- Jul 27 George Onslow, English-French composer (chamber music), born in Clermont-Ferrand, France (d. 1853)
- Sep 7 František Max Kníže, Czech composer, born in Drahelčice Czech Republic (d. 1840)
- Oct 15 Thomas Hastings, American composer, born in Washington, Connecticut (d. 1872)
- Nov 28 Ferdinand Ries, German pianist, composer, and Beethoven's secretary and copyist, baptized in Bonn, Germany (d. 1838)
- Dec 1 Castil-Blaze [Francois Henri Joseph Blaze], French composer and music critic, born in Cavaillon, France (d. 1857)