- Jan 29 Frederick Delius, British composer (A Mass of Life; Brigg Fair; In a Summer Garden), born in Bradford, England (d. 1934)
- Jan 30 Walter Damrosch, German-American conductor (New York Symphony, 1885-1928; commissioned Gershwin's Piano Concerto), and composer (The Man Without A Country), born in Breslau, Silesia (d. 1950) [1]
- Feb 5 Felipe Villanueva y Gutierrez, Mexican composer and violinist of the Porfiriato period, born in Tecámac, Mexico (d. 1893)
- Feb 13 Karel Weis, Czech composer and folk song collector, born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1944)
- Feb 17 Edward German (Jones), English composer (Merrie England), born in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England (d. 1936)
- Mar 13 Vasiliy Metallov, Russian composer and musical historian, born in Saratov, Russian Empire (d. 1926)
- Mar 28 George William Louis Marshall-Hall, English composer, born in London (d. 1915)
- Apr 5 Louis Ganne, French composer, born in Buxières-les-Mines (d. 1923)
- Apr 29 Vittorio Mario Vanzo, Italian composer, born in Padua, Italy (d. 1945)
- May 2 Maurice Emmanuel, French composer and musicologist (Salamine), born in Bar-sur-Aube, France (d. 1938)
- Jun 21 Henry Holden Huss, American composer, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1953)
- Jun 25 Vasily Georgiyevich Wrangell, Russian composer, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1901)
- Jun 27 May Irwin, Canadian comedienne and singer ("Hot Time in the Old Town"), born in Whitby, Ontario, Canada (d. 1938)
- Jul 3 Friedrich Ernst Koch, German composer, born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (now Germany) (d. 1927)
- Jul 11 Liza Lehmann, English composer, born in London, England (d. 1918)
- Aug 11 Carrie Jacobs-Bond, American singer, pianist, songwriter (I Love You Truly; A Perfect Day), born in Janesville, Wisconsin (d. 1946)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Aug 22 French composer (La Mer; Clair de lune), born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
- Sep 1 Adolphe Appia, Swiss set designer and theorist (Wagner Opera sets), born in Geneva, Switzerland (d. 1928)
- Sep 2 Alphons Diepenbrock, Dutch composer, conductor, and essayist, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1936)
- Sep 2 Franjo Krežma, Croatian violinist, born in Osijek, Croatia (d. 1881)
- Sep 25 Léon Boëllmann, French organist and composer (Variations Symphoniques; Suite Gothique), born in Ensisheim, Alsace, France (d. 1897)
- Sep 30 Georgy Eduardovich Konyus (Conus), Russian composer, and music theorist, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1933)
- Oct 10 Arthur De Greef, Belgian composer, born in Louvain, Belgium (d. 1940)
- Nov 1 Johan Wagenaar, Dutch composer (Cyrano de Bergerac), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1941)
- Nov 23 Alberto Williams, Argentine pianist and composer (Etrerno Reposo), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1952)
- Nov 25 Ethelbert Nevin, American pianist and composer (The Rosary; Narcissus), born in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania (d. 1901) [1]
- Nov 29 Friedrich Klose, German-Swiss composer (König Elf), born in Karlsruhe, Germany (d. 1942)
- Dec 9 Karel Kovařovic, Czech harpist, conductor (Prague National Theatre, 1900-20), and composer (The Dogheads), born in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (now Czech Republic) (d. 1920)
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers