- Jan 18 Joseph Philbrick Webster, American composer and songwriter (Lorena), dies at 55
- Jan 25 Leopold Jansa, Bohemian violinist, composer, and teacher, dies at 79
- Feb 1 William Sterndale Bennett, English composer, dies at 58
- Feb 19 Jean B Vuillaume, French violin maker (octobas), dies at 76
- Mar 10 Joseph Daussoigne-Méhul, French composer, dies at 84
- Mar 18 Ferdinand Laub, composer, dies at 43
- Mar 30 Marie Moke Pleyel, composer, dies at 63
- Apr 24 Jose Maria de la Purificacion Ventura, composer, dies at 58
- May 23 Johann Wilhelm Mangold, German composer, dies at 78
Georges Bizet
Jun 3 Georges Bizet, French composer (Carmen), dies of a heart attack at 36
- Jun 15 Johan Peter Cronhamm, Swedish composer, dies at 72
- Jul 17 Gábor Mátray, Hungarian composer and musicologist, dies at 77
- Sep 15 Louise Farrenc, French pianist, composer and only female professor at the Paris Conservatory during the 19th century, dies at 71
- Sep 24 William Walker, American composer (The Southern Harmony), dies at 66
- Oct 28 William Howard Glover, English composer, dies at 56
- Dec 22 Nikolay Alexeyevich Titov, composer, dies at 75