- Jan 5 Friedrich Richard Faltin, Finnish composer, born in Gdańsk, Poland (d. 1918)
- Jan 17 Johan Filip von Schantz, Finnish violinist, conductor, and composer (Kullervo), born in Ulvila, Finland (d. 1865)
- Jan 18 César A Cui, Russian composer and fort architect, born in Vilnius, Russian Empire (d. 1918)
- Feb 2 Luigi Manzotti, Italian mime artist, dancer, and ballet choreographer, born in Milan, Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom (d. 1905)
- Mar 6 Ludwik Grossman, Polish composer (Duch Wojewody - The Ghost of Voyvode), born in Tureck, Poland (d. 1915)
- Mar 14 Manuel Fernandez Caballero, Spanish composer, born in Murcia, Spain (d. 1906)
- Mar 15 Eduard Strauss, Austrian dance band conductor, and composer, born in Vienna, Ausrtian Empire (d. 1916)
- Mar 30 Bernhard Scholz, German composer, conductor, and pedagogue, born in Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse (d. 1916)
- Apr 6 José Marraco y Ferrer, Catalan church musician and composer, born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 1913)
- Apr 10 Ludwig Bösendorfer, Austrian piano builder, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1919)
- May 4 Edmund Hart Turpin, English composer, born in Nottingham, England (d. 1907)
- May 11 Kārlis Baumanis, Latvian composer (Dievs, svētī Latviju! (“God bless Latvia!”), the national anthem of Latvia), born in Viļķene Parish, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1905)
- Jun 14 Nikolay Rubinstein, Russian composer and pianist, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1881) (O.S. 2 June)
- Jul 10 Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violinist and composer (Souv de Moscou), born in Lubin, Poland (d. 1880)
- Jul 28 José Garcia Robles, Spanish composer, born in Olot, Spain (d. 1910)
- Aug 10 Gyula Beliczay, Hungarian pianist, composer, teacher, and engineer, born in Révkomárom, Hungary (now in Slovakia) (d. 1893)
- Oct 7 Felix Draeseke, German composer (Christus: Mysterium in a Prelude and Three Oratorios), born in Coburg, Germany (d. 1913)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Oct 9 French composer (Samson et Dalila; Organ Symphony), born in Paris
- Nov 9 Davorin Jenko, Slovene-Serbian composer, born in Dvorje, Slovenia (d. 1914)
- Nov 9 Jean-Theodore Radoux, Belgian composer, born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1911)
- Dec 7 Dom Joseph Pothier, French monk and musicologist, born in Bouzemont, France (d. 1923)
- Dec 12 Georges Jean Pfeiffer, French composer, born in Versailles, France (d. 1908)
- Dec 13 Phillips Brooks, American Episcopal bishop and composer (Little Town of Bethlehem), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1893)
Country Singers
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