- Jan 1 Roland Diggle, English-American composer, organist and choirmaster (St. John's Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, California), born in London, England (d. 1954)
- Jan 23 Boleslaw Wallek-Walewski, Polish composer and conductor, born in Lviv, Ukraine (d. 1944)
- Jan 27 Eduard Künneke, German conductor and theater composer, born in Emmerich, Germany (d. 1953)
Jerome Kern (1885-1945)
Jan 27 American Broadway and film composer (Showboat; Roberta), born in New York City
- Feb 9 Alban Berg, a Lulu of a composer!, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1935)
- Feb 12 Licinio Refice, Italian priest and composer (Cecilia), born in Patrica, Italy (d. 1954)
- Feb 15 Richard Würz, German composer, and music critic, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1965)
- Feb 26 Lili Green [Alice Sally Mary], Dutch English dancer, born in Bromley, England (d. 1977)
- Mar 6 (Joseph) Rosario Bourdon, French Canadian-American cellist, violinist, conductor, arranger and musical director (Victor Talking Machine Company, 1905-31; Symphonique de Montréal, 1935-44), born in Longueuil, Quebec (d. 1961)
- Mar 16 Giacomo Benvenuti, Italian composer, born in Toscolano, Italy (d. 1943)
- Mar 22 Adriano Lualdi, Italian composer (Il diavolo nel campanile), and conductor, born in Larino, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1971)
- Mar 22 Jēkabs Mediņš, Latvian composer, born in Riga, Russian Empire (now Latvia) (d. 1971)
- Mar 26 Julius Harrison, British composer and conductor (Bredon Hill), born in Stourport, Worcestershire, England (d. 1963)
- Mar 28 Marc Delmas, French composer, chiefly of stage and choral works, and musicologist, born in Saint-Quentin, France (d. 1931)
- Apr 5 Dimitrie Cuclin, Romanian composer, born in Galați County, Romania (d. 1978)
- Apr 6 Carlos Salzedo, French-American piano prodigy, harpist, composer, educator (Curtis Institue; Juilliard), and new music advocate (co-founder of International Composers' Guild), born in Arcachon, France (d. 1961)
- Apr 8 Dimitrios Levidis, Greek composer, born in Athens, Greece (d. 1951)
- Apr 16 Alexandre Stellio [Fructueux], Martinican biguine clarinetist, composer, and bandleader, born in Anses d'Arlet, Martinique (d. 1939)
- Apr 16 Leo Weiner, Hungarian composer (Fasching), born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (d. 1960)
- Apr 17 Cecil Burleigh, American violinist, composer (Sonnets of Autumn; Boyhood Recollections), and educator (University of Wisconsin, 1921-55), born in Wyoming, New York (d. 1980)
- Apr 29 Wallingford Riegger, American cellist, composer (New Dance; Cooper Square), and educator, born in Albany, Georgia (d. 1961)
- Apr 30 Luigi Russolo, Italian Futurist composer (The Art of Noises), born in Portogruaro, Italy (d. 1947)
- May 5 Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Paraguayan classical guitarist and composer (La Catedral), born in San Juan Bautista, Paraguay (d. 1944)
- May 11 [Joe] King Oliver, American jazz musician (Dippermouth Blues), born in Aben, Louisiana (birth date disputed - could be Dec. 19) (d. 1938)
- May 14 Otto Klemperer, German-American conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1933-39), and composer (Das Ziel), born in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland) (d. 1973)
- May 22 Julio Fonseca, Costa Rican composer, born in San José, Costa Rica (d. 1950)
- Jun 7 Percy Brier, Australian composer, born in North Pine, Queensland (d. 1970)
- Jun 12 Werner Erich Josten, German composer (Jungle), born in Elberfeld, Germany (d. 1963)
- Jun 19 Stevan Hristić, Serbian composer (Legend of Ohrid; Opeleo), conductor (Belgrade Philharmonic, 1923-34; Belgrade Opera, 1925-35), and pedagogue (Belgrade Music Academy, 1937-50), born in Belgrade, Serbia (d. 1958)
- Jun 27 Artúr Harmat, Hungarian composer, born in Bojná, Hungary (d. 1962)
- Jun 28 Giuseppe Mulè, Italian composer, born in Rome (d. 1951)
- Jun 29 André Gailhard, French classical music composer, born in Paris, France (d. 1966)
- Jul 7 Ernest Farrar, English composer (career was cut short by WWI), born in London, England (d. 1918)
- Jul 12 George Butterworth, English composer, born in Paddington, London, England (d. 1916)
- Jul 17 Benjamin Dale, British composer (Before the Paling of the Stars; The Flowing Tide), and educator (Royal Academy), born in Upper Holloway, Islington, England (d. 1943)
- Jul 24 Desider Antalffy-Zsiross, Hungarian organist and composer, born in Nagybecskerek, Hungary (d. 1945)
- Aug 3 Siegfried Salomon, Danish composer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1962)
- Aug 12 Alexander Albrecht, Slovak composer, born in Arad, Hungarian Kingdom (now Romainia) (d. 1958)
- Aug 15 Andrey Pashchenko, Russian composer (A Symphonic Mystery, for Theremin and Orchestra), born in Rostov-on-Don (d. 1972)
- Aug 28 Armas Maasalo, Finnish composer, organist (St. John's Lutheran Church, 1926-58), and pedagogue (Helsinki Church Music Institute, 1914-51), born in Rautavaara, Finland (d. 1960)
- Sep 10 (Theodora) "Dora" Pejačević, Croatian countess and composer (Symphony in F-sharp minor, Op. 41), born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1923)
- Sep 11 Herbert Stothart, American theater (Rose-Marie) and film score composer (The Wizard of Oz; Mutiny on the Bounty; A Night at the Opera), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1949)
- Sep 14 María Grever, Mexican-American composer ("What A Difference A Day Makes" / "Cuando vuelva a tu lado"), born in Guanajuato, Mexico (d. 1951)
- Sep 14 Vittorio Gui, Italian conductor and composer (Batture d'aspetto), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1975)
- Sep 17 Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Soviet composer who composed the anthem used by Azerbaijan during the Soviet period, born in Agjabadi, Russian Empire (d. 1948)
- Sep 18 Muslim Magomayev, Azerbaijani-Soviet composer, born in Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia (d. 1937)
- Sep 21 Thomas de Hartmann, Russian composer, born in Khoruzhivka, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1956)
- Sep 24 Artur Lemba, Estonian concert pianist, composer (Sabina), and piano teacher (St. Petersburg Conservatory, 1908-20), born in Revel, Russian Empire (now Tallinn, Estonia) (d. 1963)
- Oct 8 Will Vodery, African-American theater and film arranger, orchestrator (Showboat; Ziegfeld's Follies; Blackbirds), and composer (From Dixie to Broadway), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1951) [1]
- Oct 21 Egon Wellesz, Austrian-British composer (Alkestis; The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo), teacher, and musicologist (Byzantine), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1974)
- Oct 22 Giovanni Martinelli, Italian operatic spinto tenor singer (New York Metropolitan Opera, 1913-45), born in Montagnana, Italy (d. 1969)
- Oct 22 Lothar Windsperger, German composer and music publisher, born in Ampfing, Bavaria, Germany (d. 1935)
- Oct 25 Sam M. Lewis [Levine] American singer and lyricist ("Street of Dreams"; "Just Friends"; "Dinah"), born in New York City (d. 1959)
- Nov 9 Aureliano Pertile, Italian tenor, born in Montagnana, Italy (d. 1952)
- Nov 13 Montague Fawcett Phillips, British composer, born in Tottenham, London (d. 1969)
- Nov 27 Rudolph Reti, Serbian composer, born in Užice, Kingdom of Serbia (D. 1957)
- Dec 1 Guy de Lioncourt, French composer, born in Caen, France (d. 1961)
- Dec 10 János Hammerschlag, Hungarian composer, born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1954)
- Dec 10 Marios Varvoglis, Greek composer (Behind the Barbed Wire Fence), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1967)
- Dec 22 (Joseph) Deems Taylor, American music critic (New York World), composer (Through The Looking Glass; Peter Ibbetson), and promoter of classical music (Fantasia), born in New York City (d. 1966)
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers