# 1903 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1903.

## Specific locations

* 1903 in Norwegian music

## Events

* January 1 - The French government awards the Cross of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur to Claude Debussy
* January 3 - Alexander Glazunov's Symphony No. 7 "Pastorale" in F major Op.70 and the orchestral suite "From the Middle Ages", suite in E major for orchestra Op.79 are premiered. The composer conducts the works at the annual Russian Symphony Concerts at Saint Petersburg.
* January 16 - Reinhold Gliere's Symphony No 1 in E-flat major, Op. 8 premiers in Moscow
* January 28 - Ernani, an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, receives its first New York performance at the Metropolitan Opera.
* January - The New York Philharmonic Society dispenses with having a regular music director due to declining sales. Walter Damrosch leaves, and the next three seasons are handled by guests conductors.
* February 11 – Anton Bruckner's unfinished 9th Symphony is posthumously premiered in Vienna. Te Deum substitutes unfinished last movement of the symphony.
* February 23 – March 8 – George Enescu conducts the world premieres of three of his works, the Suite No. 1 for orchestra, op. 9, in C major, and the two Romanian Rhapsodies, op. 11, in A major and D major, as part of a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.
* March 21 - Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's oratorio La Vita Nuova premiers in Munich
* April 30 - Victor cuts its first Red Seal recordings. Soprano Ada Crossley records music at the Cornegie Hall studio, New York City.
* May 5 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's trilogy The Song of Hiawatha receives its first American performance as Charles E. Knauss conducts the Orpheus Oratorio Society in Easton, Pennsylvania
* September 9 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's sacred cantata The Atonement, Op. 53 receives its first performance at the Hereford Festival in Hereford, England.
* September – Frederick Delius marries Jelka Rosen.
* October 8 - Carl Nielsen's overture Helios premieres in Copenhagen, the composer conducting.
* October 13 - Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland premieres.
* October 14 - The Apostles by Edward Elgar receives its world premiere at the Birmhingham Festival in England
* November 23 - Enrico Caruso makes his debut with the Metropolitan Opera, New York, singing the role of the Duke of Manrua in Rigoletto.
* November 25 - Soprano Olive Fremstad debuts at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, as Sieglinde in Die Walküre.
* Enrico Caruso makes first records for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
* Mississippi John Hurt begins performing.
* Charles W. Clark is the first American to give a concert at the Paris National Conservatoire of Music, an honor that had not been given to an American in seventy years of those concerts.

## Published popular music

* "Always In The Way" w.m. Charles K. Harris
* "Always Leave Them Laughing When You Say Goodbye" w.m. George M. Cohan
* "Are We To Part Like This?" w.m. Harry Castling & Charles Collins
* "Anona" w.m. Vivian Grey
* "Bedelia" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
* "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" w.m. Dan McAvoy
* "The Burning of Rome" by E. T. Paull
* "By The Sycamore Tree" w. George V. Hobart m. Max Hoffmann
* "Congo Love Song" w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson
* "Daisy Donahue" w. James O'Dea m. Robert J. Adams
* "Dear Old Girl" w. Richard Henry Buck m. Theodore F. Morse
* "Dear Sing Sing" Schwartz
* "Down At The Old Bull And Bush" w.m. Florrie Forde
* "Flowers Of Dixieland" w. Edgar Smith m. J. Rosamond Johnson
* "General Hardtack On Guard" w.m. Dave Reed Jr
* "Good-bye, Eliza Jane" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer
* "Hamlet Was A Melancholy Dane" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
* "Hannah!" by Joseph Farrell
* "He Was A Sailor" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
* "Hurrah For Baffin's Bay" w. Vincent Bryan m. Theodore F. Morse
* "I Can't Do The Sum" w. Glen MacDonough m. Victor Herbert
* "I Could Love You In A Steam Heat Flat" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
* "I Never Could Love Like That" Bowman, Johns
* "Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider" w. Eddie Leonard m. Eddie Munson
* "I'm A Jonah Man" w.m. Alex Rogers
* "I'm On The Water Wagon Now" w. Paul West m. John Walter Bratton
* "I'm Thinking Of You All The While" Reed Jnr
* "I'm Wearing My Heart Away For You" w.m. Charles K. Harris
* "In The Village By The Sea" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Stanley Crawford
* "Indolence" Jason Mathews
* "Is Your Mother In, Molly Malone?" w.m. A. J. Mills & George Everard
* "It Takes the Irish to Beat the Dutch" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
* "It Was The Dutch" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
* "It's The Man In The Sailor Suit" w. Fred C. Farrell m. Theodore F. Morse
* "Jack Tar March" by John Philip Sousa
* "Julie" w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz
* "Lazy Moon" w. Bob Cole m. J. Rosamond Johnson
* "Like A Star That Falls From Heaven" w. Arthur Lamb m. Kerry Mills
* "Little Yellow Bird" w.m. C. W. Murphy & William Hargreaves
* "The Maid Of Timbucktoo" w. James Weldon Johnson m. Bob Cole
* "The March Of The Toys" m. Victor Herbert
* "Main Gazebo" Chris Praetorius
* "Mary Ellen" Bryan, Lemonier
* "Melody Of Love" w. Tom Glazer m. H. Engelmann
* "The Military Band" m. Victor Herbert
* "Moriaty" w. Charles Horwitz m. Fred V. Bowers
* "Mother O' Mine" w. Rudyard Kipling m. Frank E. Tours
* "My Cosy Corner Girl" w. Charles Noel Douglas m. John Walter Bratton
* "My Hula Lula Girl" by Jean Schwartz & William Jerome
* "My Little Coney Isle" w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer
* "My Little Creole Babe" w.m. Maude Nugent
* "My Little 'Rang Outang" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
* "Navajo" w. Harry H. Williams m. Egbert Van Alstyne
* "An Old Man's Darling" w.m. Fred Murray & George Everard
* "Only a Dream of the Golden Past" w. Alfred Bryan m. Stanley Crawford
* "Out Where the Breakers Roar" w. Harlow Hyde m. H. W. Petrie
* "Over the Pilsner Foam" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
* "Palm Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin
* "Please Mother, Buy Me a Baby" w.m. Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards
* "The Saftest of the Family" w. Harry Lauder & Bobry Beaton m. Harry Lauder
* "Save It for Me" w. James Weldon Johnson m. Bob Cole
* "Spring Beautiful Spring" m. Paul Lincke
* "Summer Breeze March & Two-Step" by James Scott
* "There's a Little Street in Heaven That They Call Broadway" w. Jack T. Waldron & A. Baldwin Sloane m. A. Baldwin Sloane
* "Toyland" w. Glen MacDonough m. Victor Herbert
* "The Toymaker's Shop" m. Victor Herbert
* "Two Eyes Of Blue" w. George H. Taylor m. Leslie Stuart
* "Two Eyes Of Brown" w. Edward Madden m. Stephen Howard
* "Under A Panama" w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen
* "Under the Anheuser Bush" w.m. Andrew B. Sterling & Harry Von Tilzer
* "Up In A Coconut Tree" w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse
* "Upper Broadway After Dark" w. Edward Gardinier m. Maurice Levi
* "When I'm Away From You Dear" w.m. Paul Dresser
* "The Woodchuck Song" w. Robert Hobart Davis m. Theodore F. Morse
* "The Wreck Of The Old '97" w.m. Henry C. Work
* "Your Dad Gave His Life For His Country" w. Harry J. Breen m. T. Mayo Geary
* "You're The Flower Of My Heart, Sweet Adeline" w. Richard H. Gerard m. Henry W. Armstrong

## Recorded popular music

* "Always In The Way" (w.m. Charles K. Harris) – Byron G. Harlan on Edison Records
* "Any Rags?" (w.m. Thomas S. Allen) – Arthur Collins on Edison
* "The Arrow And The Song" (w. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow m. Michael William Balfe) – Herbert Goddard on Victor Records
* "Badinage" (m. Victor Herbert) – Edison Grand Concert Band on Edison
* "Bedelia" (w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz) – George J. Gaskin on Columbia Records – Edward M. Favor on Columbia – Billy Murray on Edison
* "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" (w.m. Dan McAvoy) – Edward M. Favor on Edison – Dan W. Quinn on Victor
* "Blaze Away" (m. Abe Holzmann) – banjos Vess L. Ossman & Bill Farmer on Victor
* "Blaze Away" (m. Abe Holzmann) – Kendle's Band on Victor
* "By The Sycamore Tree" (w. George V. Hobart m. Max Hoffmann) – Harry Macdonough on Edison – Bob Roberts on Columbia – Billy Murray on Victor
* "Come Down Ma' Evenin' Star" (w. Robert B. Smith m. John Stromberg) – Mina Hickman on Victor
* "Congo Love Song" (w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson) – Harry Macdonough on Edison – Mina Hickman on Victor
* "Could You Be True To Eyes Of Blue If You Looked Into Eyes Of Brown?" (w.m. Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards) – Harry Macdonough on Victor
* "The Country Girl" (w. Stanislaus Stange m. Julian Edwards) – Vesta Victoria on Gramophone Records
* "Didn't Know Exactly What To Do" (w. Frank Pixley m. Gustav Luders) – Edward M. Favor on Edison
* "Down On The Farm" (w. Raymond A. Browne m. Harry Von Tilzer) – Franklyn Wallace on Edison
* "Flowers Of Dixieland" (w. Edgar Smith m. J. Rosamond Johnson) – Franklyn Wallace on Edison
* "The Gambling Man(1)" (w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz) – Silas Leachman on Victor
* "Good-bye, Eliza Jane" (w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry Von Tilzer) – Arthur Collins on Edison
* "Hamlet Was A Melancholy Dane" (w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz) – Edward M. Favor on Edison
* "He Ought To Have A Tablet In The Hall of Fame" (w. Arthur L. Robb m. John Walter Bratton) – Edward M. Favor on Edison
* "He Was A Sailor" (w. William Jerome m. Jean Schwartz) – Collins & Harlan on Edison
* "Heidelberg Stein Song" (w. Frank Pixley m. Gustav Luders) – Harry Macdonough on Edison & Victor
* "Hiawatha" (w. James O'Dea m. Neil Moret) – Edison Grand Concert Band on Edison – Harry Macdonough on Edison – Metropolitan Orchestra on Victor – Sousa's Band on Victor
* "Hurrah For Baffin's Bay" (w. Vincent Bryan m. Theodore F. Morse) – Collins & Harlan on Edison – Dan W. Quinn on Victor
* "I Could Love You In A Steam Heat Flat" (w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen) – Harry West on Edison
* "I Like You, Lil, For Fair" (Ade, Loraine) – Billy Murray on Victor
* "I Never Could Love Like That" (Bowman, Johns) – Billy Murray on Victor
* "I Want To Be A Lidy" (w. George Dance m. George Dee) – Clarke's Band Of Providence on Victor
* "I Wonder Why Bill Bailey Don't Come Home" (w.m. Frank Fogerty, Matt C. Woodward & William Jerome) – Arthur Collins on Victor & Edison
* "I'll Wed You In The Golden Summertime" (w. Alfred Bryan m. Stanley Crawford) – John H. Bieling & Harry Macdonough on Victor
* "I'm A Jonah Man" (w.m. Alex Rogers) – Dan W. Quinn on Victor – Arthur Collins on Edison & Victor
* "I'm Thinking Of You All The While" (Reed Jnr) – Billy Murray on Victor
* "I'm Wearing My Heart Away For You" (w.m. Charles K. Harris) – Harry Macdonough & John H. Bieling on Victor
* "In Silence" (w. Sydney Rosenfeld m. A. Baldwin Sloane) – Arthur Clifford on Edison
* "In The City Of Sighs And Tears" (w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Kerry Mills) – J. W. Myers on Victor
* "In the Good Old Summer Time" (w. Ren Shields m. George "Honey Boy" Evans) – Haydn Quartet on Victor – S. H. Dudley & Harry Macdonough with Sousa's Band on Victor – Harry Macdonough on Victor
* "In The Sweet Bye And Bye" (w. Vincent P. Bryan m. Harry Von Tilzer) – J. Aldrich Libbey on Edison
* "In The Village By The Sea" (w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Stanley Crawford) – Byron G. Harlan on Edison
* "It Takes The Irish To Beat The Dutch" (w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse) – Billy Murray on Victor Monarch
* "It Was The Dutch" (w. Vincent Bryan m. J. B. Mullen) – Collins & Harlan on Edison
* "Juanita" (w. Caroline Norton m. trad Sp.) – Haydn Quartette on Victor
* "Julie" (w. Wiliam Jerome m. Jean Schwartz) – Edward M. Favor on Edison
* "Just For Tonight(1)" (w.m. Frank O. French) – Albert C. Campbell on Edison
* "The Leader Of The Frocks And Frills" (w. Robert B. Smith m. Melville Ellis) – Clarke's Band of Providence on Victor
* "Like A Star That Falls From Heaven" (w. Arthur Lamb m. Kerry Mills) – Joe Natus on Victor
* "The Maid Of Timbucktoo" (w. James Weldon Johnson m. Bob Cole) – Harry Macdonough on Edison
* "Massa's In De Cold Ground" (w. m. Stephen Collins Foster) – Edison Male Quartette on Edison
* "Meet Me When The Sun Goes Down" (w. Vincent Bryan m. Harry von Tilzer) – William H. Thompson (singer) on Victor
* "Melody Of Love" (w. Tom Glazer m. H. Engelmann) – Edison Symphony Orchestra on Edison
* "The Message Of The Rose" (w. Will A. Heelan m. Leo Edwards) – George Seymour Lenox on Edison
* "The Message Of The Violet" (w. Frank Pixley m. Gustav Luders) – J. W. Myers on Victor
* "Mighty Lak' A Rose" (w. Frank Lebby Stanton m. Ethelbert Nevin) – Arthur Clifford on Edison
* "Moriaty" (w. Charles Horwitz m. Fred V. Bowers) – Collins & Harlan on Edison
* "My Cosy Corner Girl" (w. Charles Noel Douglas m. John Walter Bratton) – Henry Burr on Columbia – Harry Macdonough on Edison
* "My Little Coney Isle" (w. Andrew B. Sterling m. Harry von Tilzer) – Harry Tally on Edison
* "My Little 'Rang Outang" (Madden, Morse) – Billy Murray on Victor
* "My Own United States" (w. Stanislaus Stange m. Julian Edwards) – J. W. Myers on Victor
* "My Sulu Lulu Loo" (w. George Ade m. Nat D. Mann) – Clarke's Band Of Providence on Victor
* "Only A Dream Of A Golden Past" (w. Alfred Bryan m. Stanley Crawford) – Franklyn Wallace on Edison
* "Out Where The Breakers Roar" (w. Harlow Hyde m. H. W. Petrie) – Frank C. Stanley on Edison
* "Please Mother, Buy Me A Baby" (w.m. Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards) – Byron G. Harlan on Victor & Edison
* "Pretty Little Dinah Jones" (w.m. J. B. Mullen) – Harry Macdonough on Edison
* "R-E-M-O-R-S-E" (w. George Ade m. Alfred G. Wathall) – Joe Natus on Victor
* "Sal" (w.m. Paul Rubens) – Madge Crichton with piano Landon Ronald on Gramophone & Typewriter Records
* "Sammy" (w. James O'Dea m. Edward Hutchinson) – Harry Macdonough on Edison
* "Sammy" (w. James O'Dea m. Edward Hutchinson) – Henry Burr on Columbia
* "Sly Musette" (w. Sydney Rosenfeld m. A. Baldwin Sloane) – Harry Macdonough on Edison
* "Tell Me Dusky Maiden" (w. James Weldon Johnson & Bob Cole m. J. Rosamond Johnson) – S. H. Dudley & Harry Macdonough on Victor
* "Then I'd Be Satisfied With Life" (w.m. George M. Cohan) – Edward M. Favor on Edison
* "There's One In A Million Like You" (w. Grant Clarke m. Jean Schwartz) – Walter Van Brunt on Edison
* "Two Eyes Of Blue" (w. George H. Taylor m. Leslie Stuart) – Harry Macdonough on Victor – Mina Hickman on Victor
* "Under The Bamboo Tree" (w.m. Bob Cole & J. Rosamond Johnson) – Mina Hickman on Victor
* "Up In A Coconut Tree" (Madden, Morse) – Billy Murray on Victor Monarch
* "Upper Broadway After Dark" (w. Edward Gardinier m. Maurice Levi) – Edward M. Favor on Edison
* "The Vacant Chair" (w. Henry S. Washburne m. George Frederick Root) – Byron G. Harlan on Edison
* "Wait At The Gate For Me" (w. Ren Shields m. Theodore F. Morse) – J. W. Myers on Victor
* "What's The Matter With The Moon Tonight?" (w. Sydney Rosenfeld m. A. Baldwin Sloane) – Arthur Clifford on Edison
* "When The Fields Are White With Cotton" (w. Robert F. Roden w. Max S. Witt) – Franklyn Wallace on Edison
* "When We Were Two Little Boys" (w. Edward Madden m. Theodore F. Morse) – Billy Murray on Victor

## Classical music

* Hakon Borresen – Romance for Cello and Piano/Orchestra
* Vincent d'Indy - Choral varié, for saxophone/viola and orchestra, Op. 55,
* Frederick Delius – Sea Drift
* Edward Elgar – The Apostles (oratorio)
* George Enescu –
** Piano Suite No. 2 in D major, Op. 10 ("Des cloches snores")
** Sérénade lointaine for piano, violin, and cello
* Joseph Holbrooke – The Bells
* Joseph Jongen – Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1
* Carl Nielsen – Helios Overture
* Ludolf Nielsen – Symphony No.1, Op.3
* Vítězslav Novák – Slovak Suite
* Maurice Ravel – String Quartet in F
* Max Reger – Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme, Op.73
* Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Christmas Eve (suite)
* Albert Roussel - Résurrection, Prelude for orchestra Op. 4
* Alexander Scriabin
** 8 Études for piano, Op. 42
** Le divin poème (The Divine Poem), Symphony No. 3 in C minor
* Charles Villiers Stanford – String Quintet No.1, Op.85 (dated April 21, Malvern)
* Richard Strauss - Symphonia domestica
* Francesco Paolo Tosti – Seconda mattinata
* Ángel Gregorio Villoldo – El Choclo
* Alexander von Zemlinsky – Die Seejungfrau

## Opera

* Eugen d'Albert – Tiefland premiered on 15 November at the Neues Deutsches Theater, Prague
* Thomas O'Brien Butler – Muirgheis (first Irish opera) produced in Dublin on 7 December
* Ernest Chausson – Le roi Arthus, first performance at the Theatre de la Monnaie, Brusseles on 30 November
* César Cui – Mam'zelle Fifi premiers in Moscow on 17 January
* Vincent d'Indy – L'étranger, premiers at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels on 7 January
* Edmund Eysler – Bruder Straubinger premiered on 20 February at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna
* Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari – Le donne curiose premiers at the Residenztheater in Munich on 27 November
* Umberto Giordano – Siberia premiers at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 19 December
* Alexander Gretchaninov – Dobrynya Nikitich premiered on 27 October at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscov
* Scott Joplin – A Guest of Honor (lost)
* Mykola Lysenko – Taras Bulba premiered on 20 December in Kiev
* Juan Manén – Giovanni di Napoli
* John Knowles Paine – Azara premiered in a concert version on 7 May in Boston
* Emile Pessard – L'Épave premiered on 17 February at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Salle Choiseul, Paris
* Sergei Vassilenko – Skazaniye o grade velikom Kitezhe i tikhom ozere Svetoyare ("Tale of the Great City of Kitezh and the Quiet Lake Svetoyar") first staged version is produced in Moscow (originally a cantata, Op. 5)

## Dance

* January 12 - The Devil's Forge is produced by the Alhambra Ballet, London. Choreography by Lucia Cormani, the new prima ballerina, and music by George Byng.
* May 7 - Carmen, a new ballet by Alhambra Ballet premiers in London. Lucia Cormani choreographs music by Georges Bizet.

## Musical theater

* Babes In Toyland Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on October 13 and ran for 192 performances
* The Cherry Girl London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on December 29 and ran for 215 performances
* The Duchess of Dantzig London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on October 17 and ran for 236 performances
* The Earl and the Girl London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on December 10 and transferred to the Lyric Theatre on September 12, 1904, for a total run of 371 performances
* The Fisher Maiden (Music: Harry von Tilzer) Broadway production opened at the Victoria Theater on October 5 and ran for 32 performances. Starring Al Shean, George A. MacFarlane, Edna Bronson, Bessie Tannehill, Dorothy Jardon and Frances Cameron.
* In Dahomey Broadway production opened at the New York Theatre on February 18 and ran for 53 performances
* In Dahomey London production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on May 16 and ran for 251 performances
* The Jersey Lily Broadway production opened at the Victoria Theater on September 14 and ran for 24 performances
* Madame Sherry Vienna production
* Madame Sherry London production opened at the Apollo Theatre on December 23
* The Medal and the Maid London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on April 25
* My Lady Molly London production opened at Terry's Theatre on March 14
* The Orchid London production opened at the Gaiety Theatre on October 26 and ran for 559 performances
* A Princess of Kensington London production opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 22 and ran for 115 performances
* The Rogers Brothers In London Broadway production opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre on September 7 and ran for 64 performances
* The School Girl London production opened on May 9 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and ran for 333 performances.
* Three Little Maids Broadway production opened at Daly's Theatre on September 1 and ran for 130 performances
* The Wizard of Oz Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on January 21 and ran for 293 performances

## Published Writings

* Hermann Abert – Robert Schumann
* Hector Berlioz – Lettres inédites de Hector Berlioz à Thomas Gounet
* Vsevolod Cheshikhin – History of Russian Opera from 1674 to 1903
* Theodor von Frimmel – Ludwig van Beethoven
* Francis Williams Galpin – The Whistles and Reed Instruments of the American Indians
* George Grove – The Life and Letters of George Grove
* Rupert Hughes – Music Lovers' Encyclopedia (final version published 1912)
* Tobias Matthay – The Act of Touch in All its Diversity (piano practice)
* Alphonse Mustel – L'Orgue-Expressif ou Harmonium
* Julius Friedrich Sachse – The Music of the Ephrata Cloister
* G. Schirmer – The Piano Teacher's Guide
* Auguste Tolbecque – L'art du luthier

## Births

* January 4 – Carroll Gibbons, bandleader and composer (d. 1954)
* January 6 - Maurice Abravanel - Greek conductor (d. 1993)
* January 10 - Jean Paul Morel - French conductor (d. 1975)
* January 19
** Boris Blacher - Chinese conductor (d. 1975)
** Ervin Nyiregyházi - Jungarian pianist (d. 1987)
* January 22 – Robin Milford, English composer and educator (d. 1959)
* February 6 – Claudio Arrau, pianist (d. 1991)
* February 10 – Abel Meeropol ('Lewis Allan'), American lyricist (d. 1986)
* February 12 – Todd Duncan, American baritone, first Porgy in Porgy and Bess (d. 1998)
* February 15 – Marie-Thérèse Gauley, French opera singer prominent at the Opéra-Comique (d. 1992)
* March 10 – Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician (d. 1931)
* March 28 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech pianist of Russian parents (d. 1991)
* April 3 – Bubber Miley, jazz trumpeter (d. 1932)
* April 5 – Jimmy Campbell, songwriter (died 1967)
* April 10 – Herbert Graf, Austrian opera producer (d. 1958)
* April 17
** Nicolas Nabokov, Russian composer (d. 1978)
** Gregor Piatigorsky, Russian cellist (d. 1976)
* April 21 – Issy Bonn, singer and actor (d. 1977)
* May 3 – Bing Crosby, US singer and actor (d. 1977)
* May 12
** Lennox Berkeley, composer (d. 1989)
** Verna Osborne, soprano (d. 2006)
* May 20 – Jerzy Fitelberg, composer (d. 1951)
* May 26 – Bob Hope, English-born US actor, comedian and singer (d. 2003)
* May 28 – Walter Goehr, German composer (d. 1960)
* June 4 – Yevgeny Mravinsky, Russian conductor and pianist (d. 1988)
* June 6 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (d. 1978)
* June 18 – Jeanette MacDonald, US singer and actress (d. 1965)
* June 26 – St. Louis Jimmy Oden, blues singer (d. 1977)
* July 3
** Dick Robertson, US singer (d. 1944?)
** Daid Webster, Scottish opera administrator (d.1971)
* July 4 – Peeters, Belgian composer and organist (d. 1986)
* July 10 – Helen Pickens of the Pickens Sisters US singing group
* July 16 – Carmen Lombardo, Canadian singer, composer and saxophonist (d. 1971)
* August 4 – Helen Kane, US singer (d. 1966)
* August 17 – Abram Chasins, American composer and pianist (d. 1987)
* August 20 – António Fortunato de Figueiredo, conductor (d. 1981)
* August 23 – William Primrose, Scottish violinist (d. 1982)
* September 6 – Pál Kadosa, Hungarian composer and pianist (d. 1983)
* September 11 – Theodor Adorno, German musician and philosopher (d. 1969)
* September 15 – Roy Acuff, Country and Western singer (d. 1992)
* October 1 (probable) – Vladimir Horowitz, pianist (d. 1989)
* October 10 – Vladimir Dukelsky aka Vernon Duke, composer (d. 1969)
* October 16
** Lena Machado, singer (d. 1974)
** Big Joe Williams, blues guitarist (d. 1982)
* October 19 – Vittorio Giannini, neoromantic American composer (d. 1966)
* October 29 – Yvonne Georgi, ballet dancer and choreographer (d. 1975)
* November 6 – Asaf Messerer, Soviet dancer and ballet master (d. 1992)
* December 5 – Johannes Heesters, all-round entertainer (d. 2011)
* December 12 – Francisco Curt Lange, German musicologist
* December 17 – Ray Noble, bandleader, composer and arranger (d. 1978)
* date unknown – Caterina Jarboro, operatic soprano (d. 1986)

## Deaths

* January 28
** Augusta Holmès, French composer, 55
** Robert Planquette, French composer, 54
* January 31 – Meyer Lutz, conductor and composer, 73
* February 2 – Marc Burty, music teacher and composer, 75
* February 17 – Joseph Parry, organist and composer, 61
* February 22 – Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer, 62 (syphilis)
* February 23 – Friedrich Grützmacher, cellist, 70
* March – Eugène Cormon, French librettist, 92
* March 5 – Thomas Ryan, viola and clarinet player, 75
* March 14 – Ernest Legouvé, opera librettist (born 1807)
* March 19 – Pista Dankó, "gypsy" bandleader and composer, 44
* April 1 – Amelia Chambers Lehmann, songwriter (born 1838)
* April 10
** Heinrich Bellermann, music theorist, 71
** Enderby Jackson, pioneer of the British brass band, 76
* May 1 – Luigi Arditi, violinist, conductor and composer, 80
* May 9 – Giuseppe Cremonini, operatic tenor, 36
* May 15 – Sibyl Sanderson, operatic soprano, 38 (pneumonia)
* June – Constance Bache, pianist, composer and music teacher, 57
* June 29 – Rentarō Taki, Japanese pianist and composer, 23 (tuberculosis)
* July 27 – Lina Sandell, Swedish poet and hymn-writer 70
* July 28 – Rosine Stoltz, French mezzo-soprano 88
* September 4 – Hermann Zumpe, conductor and composer, 53
* September 28 – Samuel A. Ward, organist and composer, 55
* November 28 – Jules Levy (musician), Cornetist and composer, 65
* December 12 – Christian Johansson, ballet dancer and teacher, 86
* December 20 – Kornél Ábrányi, pianist and composer, 81