- Jan 1 Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974)
- Jan 7 Herbert Magidson, American lyricist, winner of first Academy Award for Best Original Song ("The Continental"; "Gone With The Wind"; "The Masquerade Is Over"), born in Braddock, Pennsylvania (d. 1986)
- Jan 8 Serge Poliakoff, Russian/French painter/guitarist
- Jan 11 Johannes Paul Thilman, composer
- Jan 12 Tex Ritter, American country singer (5 Star Jubilee, Wayward Wind), born in Murvaul, Texas (d. 1974)
- Jan 13 Maxime Jacob, composer
- Jan 14 Walter Knape, German conductor & composer, born in Bernburg, Germany (d. 2000)
- Jan 15 Rezso Kokai, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest (d. 1962)
- Jan 19 Lanny Ross, radio singer (Show Boat, The Swift Show), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jan 27 Radames Gnattali, composer
- Jan 31 Benjamin Frankel, British composer, born in London, England (d. 1973)
- Jan 31 Roosevelt Sykes, American blues and boogie-woogie pianist, and singer (The Honeydripper), born in Elmar, Arkansas (d. 1983)
- Feb 1 Hildegarde [Sell], American cabaret vocalist (“Leave It To The Girls"; "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup"), born in Adell, Wisconsin (d. 2005)
- Feb 1 Pierre Cardevielle, French conductor, composer (Élégie de Duino), music critic (Monde musicale), and teacher, born in Paris (d. 1969)
- Feb 1 Pierre Capdevielle, French composer, conductor, music critic, and educator, born in Paris (d. 1969)
- Feb 3 Ludvig Nielsen, composer
- Feb 8 Artur Balsam, Polish/US pianist (Begeleidde Menuhin, Milstein)
- Feb 9 Gwen Catley, British coloratura soprano, born in London (d. 1996)
- Feb 17 Ramon Tapales, Filipino composer and conductor, born in Baybay, Philippines (d. 1995)
- Feb 19 Grace Mary Williams, Welsh composer (Penillion), born in Barry (d. 1977)
- Feb 19 Hendrik W C Spruit, Dutch conductor
- Feb 20 Jack Jackson, British trumpeter, dance band leader, and influential BBC disc jockey, born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England (d. 1978)
- Feb 22 Edmund von Borck, composer
- Feb 25 Boris Papandopulo, Croatian composer, born in Bad Honnef, Germany (d. 1991)
- Mar 3 Donald Novis, British singer and actor (Monte Carlo, The Singing Plumber), born in Hastings, East Sussex, England (d. 1966)
- Mar 3 Albany "Barney" Bigard, Creole-American jazz clarinetist (Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1927-42 - "Mood Indigo"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1980)
- Mar 7 Alejandro Garcia Caturla, Cuban composer, born in Remedios, Cuba (d. 1940)
- Mar 7 Hans Lachman, German born Dutch Jewish composer, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1990)
- Mar 11 Aasan Ferit Alnar, composer
- Mar 14 Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish composer, one of "The Turkish Five" (Köçekçe - Dance Rhapsody for Orchestra), born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire; (d. 1972)
- Mar 16 Henny Youngman, American comedian and violinist (Take my wife ... please), born in London, England (d. 1998)
- Mar 17 Tamara Geva, Russian-born dancer and actress, born in St. Petersburg (d. 1997)
- Mar 19 Normand Lockwood, composer
- Mar 23 George Posford, composer
- Mar 24 Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Soviet singer (d. 1984)
- Mar 25 Jean Sablon, French singer-songwriter, born in Nogent-sur-Marne, near Paris (d. 1994)
- Mar 27 Charles "Pee Wee" Russell, American jazz clarinet and saxophone player, born in Maplewood, Missouri (d. 1969)
- Mar 29 E. Power Biggs, English organist and composer (CBS), born in Westcliff-on-Sea, England (d. 1977)
- Mar 31 Lauri Saikkola, composer
- Apr 8 Raoul Jobin, French Canadian tenor (d. 1974)
- Apr 9 Antal Doráti, Hungarian-American conductor (Minneapolis Symphony, 1949-1960), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1988)
- Apr 10 Fud Livingston, American jazz clarinetist and composer, born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1957)
- Apr 13 Bud Freeman, American jazz musician and tenor saxophonist (Eel), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1991)
- Apr 14 Hunter Johnson, American composer, born near Benson, North Carolina (d. 1998)
- Apr 22 Eric Fenby, English composer and president (Delius Society), born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire (d. 1997)
- Apr 25 Zoltán Gárdonyi, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1986)
- Apr 28 Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and entrepreneur, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1999)
- May 2 Maurice Thiriet, French composer, born in Meulan, Yvelines, France (d. 1972)
- May 8 David Van Vactor, American classical composer (Chaconne), born in Plymouth, Indiana (1994)
- May 17 Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (Ljublama Opera 1927, NY Metropolitan Opera), born in Zagreb, Croatia (d. 1989)
- May 23 Hellmuth Christian Wolff, composer
- May 28 Phil Regan, American actor and singer (My Wild Irish Rose), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)
- May 31 Hans Schaeuble, Swiss composer, born in Arosa, Switzerland (d. 1988)
Josephine Baker
Jun 3 Josephine Baker, American dancer, Parisian night club owner (Folies-Bergere), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1975)
Josephine Baker
- Jun 10 Janos Viski, Hungarian composer, born in Kolozsvár (d. 1961)
- Jun 18 Kay Kyser, American bandleader and radio personality (Kay Kyser's Kollege), born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (d. 1985)
- Jun 20 Bob Howard, American singer and pianist (Sing it Again), born in Newton, Massachusetts (d. 1986)
- Jun 21 Helene Costello, American dancer and actress (Love Toy), born in NYC, New York (d. 1957)
- Jun 21 Lluís Maria Millet, Catalan composer, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1990)
- Jun 21 Harold Spina, American composer, born in NYC, New York (d. 1997)
- Jun 24 Pierre Fournier, violon cellist (Paris Conservatoire), born in Paris, France
- Jun 28 Safford Cape, American-Belgian conductor, composer and music historian, born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1973)
- Jul 2 Robert Levine Sanders, American composer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1974)
- Jul 6 Elisabeth Lutyens, English composer, born in London (d. 1983)
- Jul 7 Anton Karas, Viennese musician (d. 1985)
- Jul 13 Harry Sosnik, American orchestra leader (Jack Carter Show, Your Hit Parade), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1996)
- Jul 14 Arthur James Bramwell Hutchings, composer
- Jul 18 Belle Stewart, Scottish traditional singer, born in Caputh, Blairgowrie, Scotland (d. 1997)
- Jul 19 Klaus Egge, Norwegian composer (Noregsonger), born in Gransherad, Telemark, Norway (d. 1979)
- Jul 21 Daniel Ayala Perez, Mexican composer and violinist, born in Abalá, Yucatán (d. 1975)
- Jul 26 Armando José Fernandes, Portuguese neoclassical composer, born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1983)
- Jul 28 Gottlob Frick, German opera singer, born in Ölbronn-Dürrn (d. 1994)
- Jul 30 Ľudovít Rajter, Slovak composer and conductor, born in Pezinok, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 2000)
- Jul 30 Serafin Pro, Cuban composer, born in La Habana (d. 1977)
- Aug 6 Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (d. 1984)
- Aug 7 Gerhard Frommel, German composer and pedagogue, born in Karlsruhe, Germany (d. 1984)
- Aug 15 Finn Videro, Danish organist and composer, born in Fuglebjerg, Næstved (d. 1987)
- Aug 21 Joachim Homs, Spanish composer, born in Barcelona (d. 2003)
- Sep 1 Franz Biebl, German composer (d. 2001)
- Sep 4 Alexander Moyzes, Slovak composer, born in Kláštor pod Znievom, Slovensko (d. 1984)
- Sep 4 Antanas Račiūnas, Lithuanian composer, born in Užliaušiai, Lithuania (d. 1984)
- Sep 5 Peter Mieg, Swiss composer, born in Lenzburg (d. 1990)
- Sep 7 Philip Herschkowitz, Romanian composer, born in Iași, Romania (d. 1989)
- Sep 10 Lambertus "Bertus" van Lyre, composer/conductor (Hooglied)
- Sep 12 Ruvim Pergament, composer, born in Petrozavodsk, Russia (d. 1965)
- Sep 15 Kathryn Murray, American dancer (Arthur Murray Dance Party), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1999)
- Sep 16 Johanna Sophia Hermes, Dutch singer, born in Hilversum, Netherlands (d. 1995)
- Sep 19 Dalibor Cyril Vačkář, Czech composer, born in Korčula, Croatia (d. 1984)
- Sep 19 Massimo Freccia, Italian-American conductor (New Orleans Symphony, 1944-52: Baltimore Symphony, 1952-59), born in Valdibure, Pistoia, Italy (d. 2004)
- Sep 20 David Sheinfeld, American violinist and composer, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2001)
- Sep 23 Willard F McMurry, musician
Dmitri Shostakovich
Sep 25 Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (The Gadfly), born in St Petersburg, Russia (d. 1975)
Dmitri Shostakovich
- Sep 25 Jaroslav Ježek, Czechoslovakian composer, born in Prague (d. 1942)
- Sep 30 Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair [Eamonn O Gallagher], Irish composer, born in Dundalk, Ireland (d. 1982)
- Oct 9 Janis Ivanovs, Latvian composer, born in Babri, Preiļi, Latvia (d. 1983)
- Oct 10 Paul Creston [Giuseppe Guttoveggio], Italian-American composer (Creative Harmony), born in NYC, New York (d. 1985)
- Oct 12 Willy Hess, Swiss musicologist, composer and famous Beethoven scholar, born in Winterthur, Switzerland (d. 1997)
- Oct 22 Cornelis L "Kees" van Baaren, Dutch composer (Willem Pijper)
- Oct 23 Miriam Gideon, American composer, born in Greeley, Colorado (d. 1996)
- Oct 31 Louise Talma, American composer (Summer Sounds), born in Arcachon, France (d. 1996)
- Nov 4 Arnold Cooke, British composer, born in Gomersal, West Yorkshire, England (d. 2005)
- Nov 4 Siegfried Borris, German composer, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1987)
- Nov 12 Bukka [Booker T. Washington] White, blues guitarist, born in Houston, Mississippi (d. 1977)
- Nov 13 Conrad Thibault, American singer (Jacques Fray Music Room), born in Northbridge, Massachusetts (d. 1987)
- Nov 19 Henri Temianka, Scottish-born Polish composer (California Chamber Symphony), born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 1992)
- Nov 19 Jacques Leguerney, French composer, born in LeHarve, France, (d. 1997)
- Nov 23 Mervyn Roberts, Welsh composer, born in Abergele, Denbighshire (d. 1990)
- Nov 26 Sandro Fuga, Italian composer and painist, born in Mogliano, Veneto (d. 1994)
- Dec 1 Jean Cartan, French composer, born in Nancy (d. 1932)
- Dec 7 George James, American jazz saxophonist, born in Boggs, Oklahoma (d. 1995)
- Dec 8 Leo Shuken, American film music composer and arranger (Stagecoach; The Fabulous Dorseys; The Unsinkable Molly Brown), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1976)
- Dec 9 Freddy Martin, American orchestra leader (started Merv Griffin) and tenor saxophonist, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1983)
- Dec 9 Greet Koeman, Dutch opera soprano, born in Zaandam, North Holland, Netherlands (d. 1961)
- Dec 11 Jack Purvis, American jazz trumpet player and composer, born in Kokomo, Indiana (d. 1962)
- Dec 13 Ingemar Liljefors, Swedish composer, born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1981)
- Dec 14 Helmut Bornefeld, German organist and composer, born in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, Germany (d. 1990)
- Dec 14 Alexander Tsfasman, Soviet Russian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, in Alexandrovsk, Russian Empire (now Zaporizhya, Ukraine) (d. 1971)
- Dec 17 Fernando Lopez-Garcia, composer
- Dec 18 Edwin H "Buddy" Morris, music publisher
- Dec 23 Ross Lee Finney, American composer (Landscapes Remembered), born in Wells, Minnesota (d. 1997)
- Dec 24 Franz Waxman [Wachsmann], German-American film score composer (Rebecca; Sunset Boulevard; A Place In The Sun), born in Königshütte, Silesia, German Empire (now Chorzów, Poland) (d. 1967)
- Dec 27 Ivan Brkanović, Croatian composer (Triptych - Funeral Folk Rite), born in Škaljari, Montenegro (d. 1987)
- Dec 27 Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer and actor (An American in Paris, Dance of Life), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1972)
About 1906
How Old? 114 or 115 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation