- Jan 23 Adolf Jensen, German composer, dies of tuberculosis at 42
- Apr 9 Ernst Richter, German musical theorist and composer, dies at 70
- Jul 6 Henry Smart, English organist and composer, dies at 65
- Aug 22 Friedrich August Kummer, German cellist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 82
- Sep 8 Nikolay Ivanovich Zaremba, Russian musical teacher to Tchaikovsky and composer, dies at 58
- Sep 12 Peter Arnold Heise, Danish composer (Drot og Marsk (King and Marshal)), dies at 49