- Jan 8 Per August Olander, Swedish composer, born in Linköping, Sweden (d. 1886)
- Jan 13 Ignacy Marceli Komorowski, Polish composer, born in Warsaw, Russian Poland (d. 1857)
- Jan 14 Vladimir Stasov, Russian art and music critic, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1906)
- Jan 22 Josef Leopold Zvonař, Czech organist and composer, born in Kublov, Bohemia (d. 1865)
- Jan 29 Karl von Perfall, German composer and music director (Royal Bavarian Court and Residence Theater, 1868-92), born in Munich, Germany (d. 1907)
- Mar 2 [Friedrich] Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer (The Bartered Bride; Má Vlast; Moldau), born in Litomyšl, Bohemia (d. 1884)
- Apr 21 Anselmo Clavé, Spanish politician and composer, born in Barcelona (d. 1874)
- Apr 27 William Richard Bexfield, English composer, born in Norwich, England (d. 1853)
- Jun 13 Julius Eichberg, German composer, born in Düsseldorf, Germany (d. 1893)
- Jun 22 Frédéric Louis Ritter, French composer and conductor, born in Strasbourg, France (d. 1891)
- Jun 23 Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer and teacher (Undine Sonata), born in Altona, Duchy of Holstein, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany) (d. 1910)
- Jun 26 Moritz Fürstenau, German composer, born in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony (d. 1889)
- Jul 11 Adolphe-Abraham Samuel, Belgian composer, born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1898)
- Jul 28 Jacopo Foroni, Italian opera composer (I gladiatori; Advokathen Panthelin), and conductor, born in Verona, Italy (d. 1858)
- Jul 30 Eugenio Terziani, Italian composer, born in Rome, Papal States (now Italy) (d. 1889)
- Aug 1 Edward Francis Fitzwilliam, English composer, born in Deal, Kent, England (d. 1857)
- Aug 19 Georg Goltermann, German cellist and composer, born in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation (now Germany) (d. 1898)
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Sep 4 Austrian composer (Te Deum; Wagner Symphony), Wagner disciple and "monumental bore", born in Ansfelden, Austria
- Sep 8 Jaime Nunó, Spanish composer (Mexican national anthem), born in Sant Joan de les Abadesses, Catalonia (d. 1908)
- Sep 19 Carl Ignaz Franz Umlauf, Austrian zither player and composer, born in Baden, Austria (d. 1902)
- Sep 30 Peter Milne, Scottish composer and violinist, born in Kincardine O'Neil (d. 1908)
- Oct 13 Henry Stephen Cutler, American composer (d. 1902)
- Oct 19 František Pivoda, Moravian composer, born in Žeravice, Austrian Empire (d. 1898)
- Dec 24 Peter Cornelius, German composer (The Barber of Baghdad), and educator, born in Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse (d. 1874)
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