- Jan 24 William Mason, American pianist, pedagogue and composer, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1908)
- Mar 20 Charles Albert White, composer
- May 8 Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1869)
- May 9 Ciro Pinsuti, Italian pianist and composer, born in Sinalunga, Tuscany, Italy (d. 1888)
- May 12 Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer (Isabella d'Aspeno), born in Zakynthos (d. 1896)
- Jun 3 Alfonse Charles Renaud de Vilback, French organist and composer, born in Montpelier, France (d. 1884)
- Jun 9 Gaetano Braga, Italian composer, born in Giulianova, Italy (d. 1907)
- Jun 13 Antonio Zamara, Austrian harpist, teacher, and composer, born in Milan, Italy (d. 1901)
- Jul 4 Hermann Kotzschmar, German-American composer, born in Finsterwalde, Germany (d. 1909)
- Aug 5 Heinrich Stiehl, German organist and composer, born in Lübeck (d. 1886)
- Aug 15 Eduard de Hartog, Dutch composer, born in Amsterdam (d. 1909)
- Aug 21 Otto Goldschmidt, German composer, born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1907)
- Aug 28 Albert Dietrich, German composer and conductor, born in Meissen, Germany (d. 1908)
- Nov 14 Giulio Roberti, composer
- Nov 28 Anton Rubinstein, Russian pianist and composer (Dmitri Donskoi), born in Vikhvatinets, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1894)
- Dec 24 Benjamin Ipavec, Slovene Romantic composer, born in Šentjur, Slovenia (d. 1909)
- Dec 24 José Rogel, Spanish composer, born in Orihuela, Spain (d. 1901)
- Dec 25 Patrick Gilmore, Irish-born American bandmaster and composer (When Johnny Comes Marching Home), born in Ballygar, Ireland (d. 1892)