- Jan 6 Giuseppe Martucci, Italian composer, born in Capua, Italy (d. 1909)
- Jan 9 Stevan Mokranjac [Stojanović], Serbian cellist, educator and composer of choral music (Garlands), born in Negotin, Principality of Serbia (d. 1914)
- Jan 11 Christian Sinding, Norwegian composer (Rustle of Spring), born in Konsberg, Norway (d. 1941)
- Jan 18 John Hyatt Brewer, American composer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1931)
- Feb 2 Makar Ekmalyan, Armenian composer (Patarag - Divine Liturgy of Armenia), born in Vagharshapat, Erivan Governorate, Russian Empire (now Armenia) (d. 1905)
- Feb 16 Willem Kes, Dutch violinist, composer and conductor (Concertgebouw Orchestra), born in Dordrecht, Netherlands (d. 1934)
- Mar 9 Eddie Foy Sr. [Edwin Fitzgerald], Irish-American actor, singer and dancer (A Favorite Fool), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 1928)
- Apr 14 Therese Zamara, Austrian harpist and music teacher, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1927)
- May 26 George Templeton Strong, American composer, born in NYC, New York (d. 1948)
- Jun 8 Natalia Janotha, Polish pianist and composer, born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1932)
- Jul 23 Arthur H. Bird, American composer, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 1923)
- Aug 10 Paul Geisler, German conductor, composer, and pedagogue, born in Stolp, Pomerania (now Słupia, Poland) (d. 1919)
- Aug 18 Charles H. Gabriel, American Gospel composer, born in Wilton, Iowa (d. 1932)
- Aug 18 Jan Karol Gall, Polish conductor an composer of mostly vocal pieces (Mizerna, cicha), born in Warsaw (d. 1912)
- Aug 24 Felix Mottl, Austrian conductor and composer (Agnes Bernauer), born in Unter-St.-Veit, Austria (d. 1911)
- Aug 31 Nikoghayos Fadeyi Tigranyan, Armenian composer, born in Gyumri, Armenia (d. 1951)
- Sep 12 Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1924)
- Sep 30 Andrejs Jurjans, Latvian composer, born in Ērgļi, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire (d. 1922)
- Oct 9 Sylvain Dupuis, Belgian conductor, composer, and music educator (Le Chant de la Création), born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1931)
- Oct 28 Franz Xavier Arens, American composer, born in Neef, Germany (d. 1932)
- Nov 13 Sigwart Aspestrand, Norwegian composer, born in Fredrikshald, Norway (d. 1941)
- Nov 25 Sergei Taneyev, Russian pianist and composer (Oresteia), born in Vladimir, Russia (d. 1915)
- Nov 28 Alexander Kastalsky, Russian composer, born in Moscow (d. 1926)
- Dec 2 Robert Kajanus, Finnish conductor and composer, born in Helsingfors, Finland, Russian Empire (d. 1933)
- Dec 27 André Gedalge, French composer (le Petit Savoyard, Phoebé) and Mayor of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, born in Paris, France (d. 1926)