- Jan 10 Heinrich Dorn, German composer and opera conductor, dies at 91
- Jan 13 Charles Albert White, American composer, dies at 62
- Jan 17 Alexandre Levy, Brazilian composer and pianist, dies at 27
- Feb 11 Erik Anthon Valdemar Siboni, Danish organist and composer, dies at 63
- Mar 20 Arthur Goring Thomas, English composer, dies at 41
- Mar 26 Anton Wallerstein, German composer, dies at 78
- Mar 31 Adolf Rzepko, Polish composer, dies at 66
- Apr 22 Édouard Lalo, French composer (Symphonie Espagnole; Le roi d'Ys), dies at 69
- May 2 Wilhelm Rust, German musicologist and composer, dies at 69
- May 5 Jan Nepomuk Škroup, Czech composer, dies at 80
- May 6 Ernest Guiraud, French opera composer (Piccolino; Sylvie), arranger (Bizet), and teacher, dies at 54
- Jun 9 Friedrich Wilhelm Langhans, German musician and composer, dies at 59
- Aug 19 František Zdeněk Skuherský, Czech composer, dies at 62
- Sep 11 Charles-Louis-Adolphe Vogel, French composer (Les trois couleurs), dies at 84
- Sep 12 Carl Faust, Prussian military musician and composer (Marsch Glück auf - Lucky March), and conductor, dies at 62
- Sep 24 Patrick Gilmore, Irish-born American bandmaster and composer ("When Johnny Comes Marching Home"), dies at 62
- Dec 15 Charles Balmer, German composer, dies at 75