- Jan 3 Annibal Napoleão dos Santos, Portuguese pianist, composer, and pedagogue, born in Porto, Portugal (d. 1880)
- Jan 15 Heinrich Vogl, German operatic heldentenor, born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria (d. 1900)
- Mar 5 Alphonse Hasselmans, Belgian-French harpist, composer (La Source), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1884-1912), born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1912)
- Apr 18 Wilhelm Gericke, Austrian composer, born in Schwanberg, Austria (d. 1925)
- May 12 Gabriel Fauré, French organist, composer (Requiem; Ballade), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1905-20), born in Pamiers, France (d. 1924)
- Jun 7 Leopold von Auer, Hungarian-American violinist, born in Veszprém, Hungary (d. 1930)
- Jul 6 Ángela Peralta, Mexican operatic soprano, harpist, pianist, and composer, born in Mexico City (d. 1883)
- Aug 10 Abai Qunanbaiuli, Kazakh poet, composer and philosopher, born in Karauyl, Semipalatinsk, Russian Empire (now Abay District, Kazakhstan) (d. 1904)
- Oct 12 Amintore Galli, Italian composer, born in Perticara, Italy (d. 1919)
- Oct 26 Hendrik Waelput, Flemish composer and conductor (Forest, Stella), born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1885)
- Oct 30 Gustav Weber, Swiss organist, choral conductor, and composer, born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland (d. 1887)
- Nov 14 Ernst Perabo, German-American composer and pianist, born in Wiesbaden, Germany (d. 1920)
- Dec 25 Salvatore Auteri-Manzocchi, Italian opera composer (Graziella), born in Palermo, Kingdome of the Two Sicilies (d. 1924)
- Dec 27 Augusto (de Oliveira) Machado, Portuguese composer (Lauriane; Camões es os Luziadas), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1924)
- Dec 28 Homer Newton Bartlett, American pianist, organist and composer, born in Olive, New York (d. 1920)
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