- Jan 11 Pietro Romani, Italian conductor and composer, dies at 85
- Feb 1 Joseph-Leon Gatayes, French harpist, dies at 71
- Mar 12 Cristóbal Oudrid, Spanish pianist, conductor, and orchestral and zarzuela composer (Rondeña; El molinero de Subiza), dies of bacterial pneumonia at 52
- Mar 28 Vincenzo Fioravanti, Italian composer, dies at 77
- Apr 7 Errico Petrella, Italian composer, dies at 63
- May 6 Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (Finland's national anthem "Maamme"), dies at 73
- May 14 John Roberts, Welsh composer, minister and poet, dies at 54
- Jun 3 Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian musicologist (Köchel catalogue of Mozart's works), dies of cancer at 77
- Aug 3 Karl Georg Lickl, Austrian pianist, physharmonica (type of harmonium) player, and composer, dies at 75
- Sep 12 Julius Reitz, German cellist, composer, teacher, and music editor, dies at 64
- Oct 14 Antoine-Amable-Elie Elwart, French composer, dies at 68
- Oct 28 Johann Herbeck, Austrian composer and conductor (conducted premiere of Franz Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony"), dies at 45
- Nov 13 Pietro Antonio Coppola, Italian composer, dies at 83
- Dec 10 Federico Ricci, Italian composer, dies at 68
- Dec 31 Alberto Mazzucato, composer, dies at 64