Events in Music
- May 20 The six ton chandelier of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris falls on the crowd resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others
Birthdays in Music
- May 11 Josip Slavenski, Croatian composer and pedagogue, born in Čakovec, Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1955)
- May 17 Brasílio Itiberê da Cunha Luz, Brazilian composer, born in Curitiba, State of Paraná, Brazil (d. 1967)
- May 28 Marius Monnikendam, Dutch choir composer, born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1977)