- Jan 3 Edwin George Monk, English church organist and composer, dies at 80
- Feb 3 Ottokar Novacek, Astro-Hungarian composer (Perpetual Motion), dies at 33
- Mar 6 Carl Bechstein, German piano maker, dies at 73
- Mar 10 Johann Peter Emilius Hartmann, Danish composer, dies at 94
- Mar 19 Charles-Louis Hanon, French composer and piano pedagogue (The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises), dies at 80
- Apr 21 Heinrich Vogl, composer, dies at 55
- May 10 Richard Storrs Willis, American composer, mostly of hymns ("Carol"; "Fairest Lord Jesus"), dies at 81
- May 20 Gustav Heinrich Graben-Hoffman, composer, dies at 80
- Jun 11 Charles Swinnerton Heap, English composer, dies at 53
- Jun 21 Polibo Fumagalli, Italian composer, dies at 69
- Aug 19 Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian composer, dies at 67
- Oct 9 Heinrich von Herzogenberg, Austrian composer, dies at 57
- Oct 14 Sandor Erkel, Hungarian composer and son of Ferenc Erkel, dies at 54
- Oct 15 Zdenek Fibich, Czech classical composer (Šárka; The Bride of Messina), dies at 49
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
Nov 22 British composer (The Golden Legend; Onward, Christian Soldiers), major-generally remembered for his comic operas with W.S. Gilbert (The Pirates of Penzance:, H.M.S Pinafore; The Mikado), dies of heart failure at 58
- Dec 8 Henry Russell, composer, dies at 87