- Jan 31 Aristide Farrenc, French flautist, music publisher, and musicologist (Trésor des pianistes), dies at 70
- Apr 1 Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano, dies at 67
- Apr 8 John Park, Scottish composer, dies at 61
- Apr 14 Ignaz Bösendorfer, Austrian musician, and piano maker, dies at 65
- Apr 26 Charles J Sax, Belgian musician, instrument maker, and father of Adolphe Sax - inventor of the saxophone, dies at 74
- Jun 15 Jakob Zeugheer, Swiss composer, dies at 61
- Jul 24 Johan Filip von Schantz, Finnish violinist, conductor, and composer (Kullervo), dies of typhus at 30
- Aug 17 Johann Nepomuk Poissl, Bavarian composer, dies at 82
- Aug 27 Józef Nowakowski, Polish pianist and composer, dies at 64
- Sep 24 Frantiszek Sołtyk, Polish composer, dies at 81
- Oct 8 Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, Moravian violinist and composer, dies at 51
- Oct 12 William Vincent Wallace, Irish-American violinist (known as the 'Australian Paganini'), and composer (Maritana), dies at 53
- Nov 6 Thérèse Wartel, French pianist and composer, dies at 51
- Nov 23 Josef Leopold Zvonař, Czech organist and composer, dies at 41
- Dec 6 Sebastian de Iradier, Spanish composer (Arreglito), dies at 56
- Dec 18 Francisco Manuel da Silva, Brazilian composer (Brazilian National Anthem), dies at 70