- Jan 13 Luca Sorkočević, Croatian nobleman and composer (composed 1st Croatian symphony), born in Dubrovnik, Republic of Rugosa (now Croatia) (d. 1789)
- Jan 17 François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian-French composer (Les Pêcheurs; Mirza), born in Vergnies, Austrian Netherlands (d. 1829)
- Jan 31 Julien-Amable Mathieu, French composer, born in Versailles, France (d. 1811)
- Feb 20 Franz Ignaz Beck, German violinist, composer, conductor and music teacher, born in Mannheim, Electorate of the Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1809)
- Mar 18 Joseph Schmitt, German-Dutch composer, born in Gernsheim, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1791)
- Jun 15 Johann Ernst Altenburg, German composer, organist and trumpeter, born in Weißenfels (d. 1801)
- Jun 28 Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier, French composer, born in Abbeville, Hauts-de-France, France (d. 1794)
- Jul 27 Jakob Zupan, Slovenian composer, born in Prevoje pri Šentvidu, Venetian Slovenia (d. 1810)
- Sep 5 Jean-Benjamin de La Borde, French composer, born in Paris, France (d. 1794)
- Nov 25 Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Wenkel, German composer, born in Niedergebra, Nordhausen, Germany (d. 1792)
- Dec 17 Georg Peter Weimar, German cantor and composer, born in Stotternheim (d. 1800)
- Dec 18 Jean-Baptiste Rey, French conductor (Paris Opera) and composer, born in Lauzerte, France (d. 1810)