- Feb 16 Franz von Holstein, German composer, born in Braunschweig (d. 1878)
- Mar 1 John Thomas, Welsh composer and harpist, born in Bridgend (d. 1913)
- Mar 9 Jean Joseph Bott, German violinist and composer, born in Kassel, Germany (d. 1895)
- Mar 12 Robert Lowry, American hymn composer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1899)
- Mar 14 William Fiske Sherwin, American composer, born in Buckland, Massachusetts (d. 1888)
- Mar 23 [Aloysius] Ludwig Minkus, Austrian violinist, and ballet composer (St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, 1871-86; La Bayadère), born in Vienna, Austrian Empire (d. 1917)
- Apr 7 Johann Hermann Berens, German-born Swedish Romantic composer, born in Hamburg, German Confederation (now Germany) (d. 1880)
- Apr 28 Alexander Stadtfeld, German composer, born in Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1853)
- Jun 1 Carl Bechstein, German piano maker, born in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (now Germany), (d. 1900)
- Jun 1 Hermann Zopff, German composer, born in Glogau, Prussia (now Głogów, Poland) (d. 1883)
- Jun 5 Ivar Hallström, Swedish composer, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1901)
Stephen Foster (1826-1864)
Jul 4 American composer (Oh! Susanna; Swanee River; Beautiful Dreamer), born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania
- Jul 10 Theodore Lajarte, French writer on music and composer, born in Bordeaux, France (d. 1890)
- Aug 13 William Thomas Best, English organist and composer, born in Carlisle, Cumberland, England (d. 1897)
- Aug 27 Hermann Kipper, German music teacher and composer, born in Koblenz, Rhenis Prussia (now Germany) (d. 1910)
- Aug 28 Walter Cecil Macfarren, British pianist, teacher (Royal Academy, 1846-1903), conductor, and composer, born in London, England (d. 1905)
- Sep 6 Vladimir Nikitich Kashperov, Russian composer, born in Chufarovo, Russia (d. 1894)
- Sep 8 Disma Fumagalli, Italian composer, born in Inzago, Milan, Italy (d. 1893)
- Oct 16 Piotr Studzinski, Polish conductor and composer, born in the Free City of Cracow (d. 1869)
- Oct 22 Guglielmo Quarenghi, Italian composer and cellist, born in Casalmaggiore, Italy (d. 1882)
- Dec 3 Edmond van der Straeten, Belgian lawyer and musicologist, born in Oudenaarde, Belgium (d. 1895)
- Dec 21 Ernst Pauer, Austrian composer and pianist, born in Vienna (d. 1905)
- Dec 24 Ignacy Krzyzanowski, Polish composer, born in Opatów, Poland (d. 1905)
- Dec 26 Franz Coenen, Dutch violinist and composer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1904)
- Dec 31 Henry Hiles, English composer, born in Shrewsbury (d. 1904)
Country Singers
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