- Jan 7 Hans Matthison-Hansen, Danish composer and organist, dies at 82
- Jan 14 Francesco D'Arcais, Italian composer, dies at 59
- Jan 17 Salomon Sulzer, composer, dies at 85
- Jan 20 Franz Paul Lachner, German composer, dies at 86
- Jan 30 Karl Merz, German-American composer (Brainard's Musical World), dies at 53
- Mar 13 Henry Wylde, English composer and conductor, dies at 67
- Apr 16 John Barnett, English composer (The Mountain Sylph), dies at 87
- May 6 Hubert LĂ©onard, Belgian violinist, and pedagogue (Brussels Conservatoire, 1848-67), dies at 71
- May 28 Viktor Nessler, Alsatian composer, dies at 49
- Jun 3 Henryk Oskar Kolberg, Polish folklorist and composer, dies at 76
- Jun 20 Theodore Lajarte, French writer on music and composer, dies at 63
- Jun 28 Edouard Gregoir, Belgian composer, dies at 67
- Jun 30 Samuel Parkman Tuckerman, American sacred music composer, dies at 71
- Sep 5 Ludwig Deppe, German composer, dies at 61
- Oct 3 Andries Andre, Dutch actor and husband of Geertruida Meeuwissen (Trumpeter-Major), dies at 36
- Oct 7 John Hill Hewitt, American songwriter (A Minstrel's Return from the War), dies at 89
- Oct 17 Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton, French composer, dies at 77
- Nov 4 Kazamierz Julian Kratzer, Polish classical composer (Over the Precipice; You Are My Dream), dies at 46
- Nov 8 Caesar Franck, Belgian organist and composer (Symphonic Variations), dies at 67
- Nov 27 Emanuele Muzio, Italian composer, dies at 69
- Dec 21 Niels Wilhelm Gade, Danish violinist, organist, composer, and conductor, dies at 73