Timeline of musical events

Notable events:
- The official UK singles chart is launched
- Recording Industry Association of America (or RIAA) established
Deaths of:
- Gertrude Lawrence
- Fletcher Henderson
Notable releases:

1951 in music, 1951 in British music, 1951 in Norwegian music

Notable events:
- The musical The King and I first performed
Deaths of:
- Arnold Schoenberg
- Mildred Bailey
Notable releases:
- Ike Turner – Rocket 88 (hailed as the first rock 'n' roll song)

1950 in music, 1950 in British music, 1950 in Norwegian music

Notable events:
Deaths of:
Notable releases:
- Cartoon voice actor Mel Blanc releases the song "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat" as Looney Tunes characters Tweety and Sylvester

1940s

1949 in music, 1949 in British music, 1949 in Norwegian music – Birth of Bruce Springsteen, Maureen McGovern, Valery Leontiev, Paul Rodgers, Billy Joel, Steve Perry, Rick Springfield, Gene Simmons, Lionel Richie, Roger Taylor and Mark Knopfler; RCA Victor introduces 45 RPM records; South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein Death of Richard Strauss German composer
1948 in music, 1948 in British music, 1948 in Norwegian music – Birth of Robert Plant, John Bonham, Steven Tyler, Donna Summer, Johnny Ramone, Ted Nugent, Andrew Lloyd Webber, James Taylor, Alice Cooper, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, Ian Paice, Olivia Newton-John, Stevie Nicks, and Ozzy Osbourne; Kiss Me, Kate – Cole Porter; Four Last Songs – Richard Strauss; Columbia Records introduces 331/3 RPM (LP) records.
1947 in music, 1947 in British music, 1947 in Norwegian music – Birth of Elton John, David Bowie, Bob Weir, Brian Johnson, Emmylou Harris, Arlo Guthrie, Tracy Nelson, Paul Brady, Tim Buckley, Jim Messina, Mick Fleetwood, Organum, Jeff Lynne, Minnie Riperton, and Carlos Santana
1946 in music, 1946 in British music, 1946 in Norwegian music – Birth of Freddie Mercury, Toquinho, Keith Moon, Benny Andersson, Bon Scott, Tim Curry, Donovan, Linda Ronstadt, Marianne Faithfull, Gram Parsons, Cher, Patti Smith, David Gilmour, John Paul Jones and Dolly Parton
1945 in music, 1945 in British music, 1945 in Norwegian music – Birth of Bob Marley, Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bob Seger, Bob Welch, Bette Midler, Deborah Harry, Anne Murray, Carly Simon, John Fogerty, Rod Stewart, Kim Carnes, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, John McVie, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ritchie Blackmore, Itzhak Perlman, Debbie Harry and Eric Clapton; Death of Jerome Kern; Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten premieres in London; Carousel – Rodgers and Hammerstein; Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss;
1944 in music, 1944 in British music, 1944 in Norwegian music – Birth of Keith Emerson, Barry White, Diana Ross, Jeff Beck, Chico Buarque, Marvin Hamlisch, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Booker T. Jones, Joe Cocker, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Gary Glitter, Brenda Lee, Townes Van Zandt, Mary Wilson (singer) and Jimmy Page; Disappearance of Glenn Miller,
1943 in music, 1943 in British music, 1943 in Norwegian music – Birth of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jim Morrison, George Harrison, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, John Denver, Jack Bruce, Barry Manilow, Christine McVie, Jim Croce, Carlos, Gavin Bryars, Bobby Sherman, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nils-Aslak Valkeapää; Death of Lorenz Hart, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Formation of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carl Ruggles, Evocations; The original Broadway production of Oklahoma! opened on March 31, 1943, at the St. James Theatre in New York City.
1942 in music, 1942 in British music, 1942 in Norwegian music – Birth of Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, John P. Hammond, Ronnie James Dio, Brian Wilson, Jerry Garcia, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Rick Danko, Lou Reed, Paul Butterfield, Jerry Jeff Walker and Tammy Wynette; Death of George M. Cohan
1941 in music, 1941 in British music, 1941 in Norwegian music – Birth of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Hank Marvin, Otis Redding, Jon Lord, Chubby Checker, Aaron Neville, Charlie Watts, Neil Diamond, Richie Havens, Cass Elliot, Wilson Pickett, Linda McCartney and Ritchie Valens; Les Paul builds one of the first solid-body electric guitars;
1940 in music, 1940 in British music, 1940 in Norwegian music – Birth of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Frank Zappa, Tom Jones, Vicente Fernández, Dionne Warwick, Cliff Richard, Phil Ochs, Levon Helm, Nancy Sinatra, Denny Doherty, Smokey Robinson, Ricky Nelson, Tim Hardin, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Hatfield, Bill Medley and (both of the Righteous Brothers)

1930s

1939 in music, 1939 in British music, 1939 in Norwegian music – Birth of Judy Collins, Marvin Gaye, Ray Manzarek, Ginger Baker, Tina Turner and Grace Slick; Cole Porter's DuBarry Was a Lady; Judy Garland records "Over the Rainbow"
1938 in music, 1938 in British music, 1938 in Norwegian music – Birth of Peter Yarrow, Gordon Lightfoot, Ben E. King, Fela Kuti, Kenny Rogers, Death of Robert Johnson, Benny Goodman presents a jazz concert in Carnegie Hall; Death of Dan W. Quinn
1937 in music, 1937 in British music, 1937 in Norwegian music – Death of George Gershwin, Birth of Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Garth Hudson, Tom Paxton, Philip Glass, Dame Shirley Bassey, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana premieres
1936 in music, 1936 in British music, 1936 in Norwegian music – Birth of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Kris Kristofferson, Bill Wyman, Dave Van Ronk, Steve Reich, Bobby Darin, Billboard publishes first U.S. music chart
1935 in music, 1935 in British music, 1935 in Norwegian music – Birth of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Luciano Pavarotti, Julie Andrews, Ronnie Hawkins, Johnnie Mathis, John Phillips, Lou Rawls, La Monte Young, Terry Riley; Audiovox produce first electric bass guitar; Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin premieres in New York
1934 in music, 1934 in British music, 1934 in Norwegian music – Cole Porter's Anything Goes; Birth of Leonard Cohen, Jackie Wilson; Tammy Grimes, Bob Shane, King Curtis, Florence Henderson, Renata Scotto, Shirley Jones, Otis Rush, Frankie Valli, Pat Boone, André Prévost, Freddie King, Brian Epstein, Dave Guard, Del Shannon; Deaths of Edward Elgar and Gustav Holst
1933 in music, 1933 in British music, 1933 in Norwegian music – Birth of James Brown, Quincy Jones, Willie Nelson, Nina Simone, Yoko Ono, Nick Reynolds
1932 in music, 1932 in British music, 1932 in Norwegian music – Night and Day by Cole Porter; Birth of Johnny Cash, Joel Grey, Petula Clark, Patsy Cline, Glenn Gould, Loretta Lynn, Miriam Makeba Carl Perkins, Little Richard, and John Williams; Death of John Philip Sousa; Adolph Rickenbacker produces first electric guitar; Bell Labs creates first stereophonic sound recordings
1931 in music, 1931 in British music, 1931 in Norwegian music – Birth of Teresa Brewer, Sam Cooke, João Gilberto, George Jones and Phyllis McGuire; Death of Anna Pavlova
1930 in music, 1930 in British music, 1930 in Norwegian music – Birth of Ray Charles, Herbie Mann, Odetta, Sonny Rollins, Stephen Sondheim, and The Big Bopper

1920s

1929 in music, 1929 in British music, 1929 in Norwegian music – Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen; Birth of Beverly Sills, Bill Evans, Dick Clark, Berry Gordy, Henri Pousseur
1928 in music, 1928 in British music, 1928 in Norwegian music – Birth of Bo Diddley and Karlheinz Stockhausen; Fats Domino The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht (libretto) premieres in Berlin
1927 in music, 1927 in British music, 1927 in Norwegian music – Jerome Kern's Show Boat; Igor Stravinsky's Apollo; Birth of Harry Belafonte, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Patti Page, Ralph Stanley
1926 in music, 1926 in British music, 1926 in Norwegian music – Tapiola by Jean Sibelius; Birth of Marilyn Monroe, Joan Sutherland, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Tony Bennett, Big Mama Thornton; Turandot by Giacomo Puccini premieres in Milan
1925 in music, 1925 in British music, 1925 in Norwegian music – Birth of Celia Cruz, B.B. King and Pierre Boulez; Big record labels begin using electric microphones for recording; 78 RPM adopted as standard for records; BBC makes first radio broadcast in stereo; Wozzeck by Alban Berg premieres in Berlin, Carl Ruggles, Portals. Debut of the Grand Ole Opry.
1924 in music, 1924 in British music, 1924 in Norwegian music – Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue premieres in New York; the Symphony No. 7 by Jean Sibelius; Death of Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini, Italian opera composer, Carl Ruggles. Men and Mountains. Debut of the National Barn Dance, the first radio program devoted to country music.
1923 in music, 1923 in British music, 1923 in Norwegian music – Birth of Hank Williams, First recordings by Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and many other African-American artists, Carl Ruggles, Vox clamans in deserto
1922 in music, 1922 in British music, 1922 in Norwegian music – Birth of Judy Garland.
1921 in music, 1921 in British music, 1921 in Norwegian music – Death of Enrico Caruso, Carl Ruggles Angels
1920 in music, 1920 in British music, 1920 in Norwegian music – Birth of Charlie Parker, Ravi Shankar, Isaac Stern; Death of Alberto Nepomuceno, Brazilian composer, pianist, organist and conductor.

1910s

1919 in music, 1919 in British music, 1919 in Norwegian music – Birth of Pete Seeger, Merce Cunningham, Carl Ruggles, Toys
1918 in music, 1918 in British music, 1918 in Norwegian music – Phonograph cylinders become obsolete; the Society for Private Musical Performances is founded in Vienna by Arnold Schoenberg; Death of Claude Debussy
1917 in music, 1917 in British music, 1917 in Norwegian music – Birth of Lou Harrison, Ella Fitzgerald, John Lee Hooker, Dinu Lipatti, Isang Yun; First hit jazz recordings by Original Dixieland Jass Band, Death of Scott Joplin
1916 in music, 1916 in British music, 1916 in Norwegian music – Birth of Milton Babbitt, Henri Dutilleux, Alberto Ginastera, Betty Grable, Harry James, Dinah Shore,
1915 in music, 1915 in British music, 1915 in Norwegian music – An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss; Birth of Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, John Serry, Sr.; Tom Brown starts billing his group as a "Jass Band"
1914 in music, 1914 in British music, 1914 in Norwegian music – "St. Louis Blues" published; first calypso music recordings
1913 in music, 1913 in British music, 1913 in Norwegian music – Birth of Muddy Waters, Vinicius de Moraes, Benjamin Britten English Composer; Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is premiered in Paris.
1912 in music, 1912 in British music, 1912 in Norwegian music – Birth of Woody Guthrie, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Cage
1911 in music, 1911 in British music, 1911 in Norwegian music – Birth of Robert Johnson, Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss premieres in Dresden, Death of Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor
1910 in music, 1910 in British music, 1910 in Norwegian music – Birth of Howlin' Wolf, Artie Shaw, John H. Hammond, Django Reinhardt; "Let Me Call You Sweetheart"

1900s

1909 in music, 1909 in British music, 1909 in Norwegian music – Death of Francisco Tárrega; Elektra by Richard Strauss premieres in Dresden; Birth of Benny Goodman
1908 in music, 1908 in British music, 1908 in Norwegian music – The two first atonal pieces are composed, first by Béla Bartók and then by Arnold Schoenberg Death of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
1907 in music, 1907 in British music, 1907 in Norwegian music – Death of Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (b. 1843); Birth of Gene Autry, Cab Calloway, Benny Carter, Kate Smith
1906 in music, 1906 in British music, 1906 in Norwegian music – Birth of Dmitri Shostakowich, soviet composer and pianist, Victor begins selling the Victrola phonograph player for $15.00; Len Spencer, I Am The Edison Phonograph --- earliest recorded advert played in Phonograph shops to sell the devices; the Symphony No. 8 by Gustav Mahler: Birth of Pedro Vargas known as the "Nightingale of the Americas".
1905 in music, 1905 in British music, 1905 in Norwegian music – The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár premieres in Vienna; Salome by Richard Strauss premieres in Dresden
1904 in music, 1904 in British music, 1904 in Norwegian music – The Violin Concerto (Sibelius) by Jean Sibelius; Death of Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer, Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini premieres in Milan
1903 in music, 1903 in British music, 1903 in Norwegian music – Valse triste by Jean Sibelius; Birth of Bing Crosby and Vladimir Horowitz
1902 in music, 1902 in British music, 1902 in Norwegian music – Birth of Richard Rodgers, Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy premieres in Paris
1901 in music, 1901 in British music, 1901 in Norwegian music – Birth of Louis Armstrong, Death of Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer, Birth of Silvestre Vargas
1900 in music, 1900 in British music, 1900 in Norwegian music – Tosca by Giacomo Puccini premieres in Rome

1890s

1899 in music, 1899 in Norwegian music – Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák; Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss; Symphony No. 1 and publication of Finlandia by Jean Sibelius; Shéhérazade (Ravel) by Maurice Ravel; Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar; "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin; Death of Johann Strauss II; Birth of Duke Ellington; Birth of Silvestre Revueltas
1898 in music, 1898 in Norwegian music – Birth of George Gershwin, Paul Robeson
1897 in music, 1897 in Norwegian music – Ragtime music becomes popular in the United States; Death of Brahms, Birth of Marian Anderson
1896 in music, 1896 in Norwegian music – Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss; Jungfrun i tornet by Jean Sibelius; Death of Carlos Gomes, Brazilian composer and opera composer and Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer and organist
1895 in music, 1895 in Norwegian music – The Swan of Tuonela by Jean Sibelius; Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks by Richard Strauss; Birth of Carl Orff, Oscar Hammerstein II, William Grant Still, the "Dean of African-American music"
1894 in music, 1894 in Norwegian music – Cello Concerto and Humoresques by Antonín Dvořák
1893 in music, 1893 in Norwegian music – Symphony No. 9 and String Quartet No. 12 by Antonín Dvořák; Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler; Karelia Suite by Jean Sibelius; Death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer
1892 in music, 1892 in Norwegian music – Dan W. Quinn makes first recordings in New York City; Kullervo by Jean Sibelius; Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo; The Nutcracker by Marius Petipa
1891 in music, 1891 in Norwegian music – Piano Trio No. 4 by Antonín Dvořák; Birth of Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet composer and pianist; George W. Johnson becomes first African American recording artist with "The Laughing Song"
1890 in music, 1890 in Norwegian music – John Philip Sousa makes first recordings with Columbia Phonograph Company; Birth of Bronislava Nijinska, choreographer

1880s

1889 in music, 1889 in Norwegian music – Effie Stewart records at Menlo Park; Edison starts commercial recordings on May 24; First phonograph parlor opens in San Francisco; Kaiser-Walzer by Johann Strauss II; Death and Transfiguration by Richard Strauss.
1888 in music, 1888 in Norwegian music – Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler; Birth of Lead Belly; Death of Charles-Valentin Alkan, French composer and pianist; Wax phonograph cylinders commercially marketed; Emile Berliner invents lateral-cut disc records.
1887 in music, 1887 in Norwegian music – The Havanaise (Saint-Saëns) by Camille Saint-Saëns; Birth of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer, cellist, and guitarist
1886 in music, 1886 in Norwegian music – The Carnival of the Animals and the Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns; birth of Marcel Dupré, Al Jolson, Paul Paray, Othmar Schoeck; Franz Liszt publishes his final Hungarian Rhapsody; death of Franz Liszt.
1885 in music, 1885 in Norwegian music – The Mikado – Arthur Sullivan; The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss II; Birth of Jerome Kern
1884 in music, 1884 in Norwegian music – Birth of Sophie Tucker
1883 in music, 1883 in Norwegian music – Birth of Edgard Varèse, Death of Richard Wagner, German composer
1882 in music, 1882 in Norwegian music – Birth of Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer, Parsifal by Richard Wagner premieres in Bayreuth; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture premiere
1881 in music, 1881 in Norwegian music – Births of Béla Bartók and George Enescu
1880 in music, 1880 in Norwegian music – Stabat Mater and "Songs My Mother Taught Me" by Antonín Dvorák; The Violin Concerto No. 3 (Saint-Saëns) by Camille Saint-Saëns; Death of Jacques Offenbach, composer (b. 1819)

1870s

1879 in music, 1879 in Norwegian music – Birth of Jean Cras
1878 in music – Birth of George M. Cohan; William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, H.M.S. Pinafore; reshapes British and American musical theater;
1877 in music – Phonograph and phonograph cylinder invented by Thomas Alva Edison; Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns Birth of Billy Murray (singer)
1876 in music – Siegfried and Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner premiere in Bayreuth; Birth of Carl Ruggles
1875 in music – Birth of Joseph-Maurice Ravel, French composer and pianist; Carmen by Georges Bizet premieres in Paris; Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premieres
1874 in music – Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky premieres in Saint Petersburg; Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II premieres in Vienna; Richard Wagner concludes Götterdämmerung, finishing The Ring Cycle; Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi; Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns; Birth of Arnold Schoenberg
1873 in music – Birth of Enrico Caruso, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian composer, ultra virtuoso pianist and conductor
1872 in music – The Cello Concerto No. 1 (Saint-Saëns) by Camille Saint-Saëns; Birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer; birth of Sergei Diaghilev, choreographer (d. 1929)
1871 in music – Richard Wagner concludes Siegfried; Aida by Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Cairo
1870 in music – Die Walküre (the Valkyrie) by Richard Wagner premieres in Munich

1860s

1869 in music – Death of Hector Berlioz, French composer, Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner premieres in Munich
1868 in music – Death of Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner premières in Munich; Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms premières in Bremen; Wiegenlied by Brahms (Brahms' Lullaby); Tales from the Vienna Woods by Johann Strauss II; the Piano Concerto No. 2 (Saint-Saëns) by Camille Saint-Saëns
1867 in music Birth of Scott Joplin, famous ragtime composer; The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II; Roméo et Juliette (opera) by Charles Gounod; Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg
1866 in music – Franz Liszt completes his oratorio Christus; Birth of French composer Erik Satie.
1865 in music – Birth of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius; Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner premieres in Munich, marking the beginning of the end for traditional tonality; The Symphony No. 1 by Antonín Dvorak; Franz Liszt publishes his solo piano transcriptions of the full Beethoven Symphonies 1 – 9.
1864 in music Birth of Richard Strauss, German composer, Alberto Nepomuceno, Brazilian composer, pianist, organist and conductor
1863 in music– The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns; Birth of Ernesto Nazareth
1862 in music – Birth of French composer Claude Debussy
1861 in music – Birth of Anton Arensky; Franz Liszt completes his first Mephisto Waltz The Dance in the Village Inn.
1860 in music – Birth of Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor

1850s

1859 in music – Faust by Charles Gounod premieres in Paris; Richard Wagner concludes Tristan und Isolde; In 1859, John Freeman Young published the English translation of Silent Night that is most frequently sung today.
1858 in music – Births of Medardo Rosso and Giacomo Puccini, Italian opera composer, Orphée aux enfers by Jacques Offenbach, the first operetta, premieres in Paris; Hector Berlioz writes Les Troyens; Johann Strauss II writes Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka
1857 in music – Birth of Edward Elgar, British composer; First public performance of Franz Liszt's Piano Sonata in B Minor
1856 in music – Death of Robert Schumann, German composer and pianist; Richard Wagner, German composer, concludes Die Walküre
1855 in music – Birth of Ernest Chausson
1854 in music – Richard Wagner, German composer, concludes Das Rheingold
1853 in music – Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Rome; La traviata by Verdi premieres in Venice
1852 in music – Births of Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer, teacher and conductor and Francisco Tárrega, Spanish composer and guitarist
1851 in music – Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi premieres in Venice
1850 in music – Lohengrin by Richard Wagner premieres in Weimar; Foster's Plantation Melodies by Stephen Foster, including "Camptown Races"

1840s

1849 in music – Death of Frédéric Chopin, Polish composer and pianist; Franz Liszt publishes his Three Concert Études, alongside completing Funérailles.
1848 in music – Album for the Young by Robert Schumann; Death of Gaetano Donizetti, Italian opera composer
1847 in music – "Oh! Susanna" by Stephen Foster published; Death of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, German composer
1846 in music – Adolphe Sax invents the saxophone
1845 in music – Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner premières in Dresden; The Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn; Birth of Ángela Peralta
1844 in music – Birth of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Charles-Marie Widor
1843 in music – Birth of Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (d. 1907); Minstrel show premieres in United States; Der fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner premieres in Dresden
1842 in music – "Lisztomania" sweeps Europe
1841 in music – Birth of Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer; Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi
1840 in music – Birth of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer; Death of Niccolò Paganini, Italian composer and ultra virtuoso violinist

1830s

1839 in music – Blumenstück by Robert Schumann
1838 in music – Kinderszenen by Robert Schumann
1837 in music – Requiem by Hector Berlioz
1836 in music – Birth of Carlos Gomes, Brazilian composer and opera composer, Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer premieres in Paris
1835 in music – Death of Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini, Italian opera composer, Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti premieres in Naples; Gaetano Corticelli is in vogue in salons of Bologna, Italy featuring his terzettis and fantasies; I puritani by Vincenzo Bellini premieres
1834 in music – Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik first published by Robert Schumann
1833 in music – Johannes Brahms born
1832 in music – Death of Muzio Clementi, Italian composer and pianist
1831 in music – La sonnambula and Norma by Vincenzo Bellini
1830 in music – Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz is written; The Hebrides (overture) by Felix Mendelssohn; Anna Bolena by Gaetano Donizetti; and I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Vincenzo Bellini

1820s

1829 in music – The Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, and the Songs Without Words by Felix Mendelssohn; Birth of Anton Rubinstein, Russian composer and ultra virtuoso pianist
1828 in music – Franz Schubert dies
1827 in music – Ludwig van Beethoven dies; Winterreise by Franz Schubert; Il pirata by Vincenzo Bellini
1826 in music – June 5, Death of Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber, German opera composer. String Quartet No. 14 in C Sharp minor by Ludwig van Beethoven was completed. October 31, Muzio Clementi's complete Gradus ad Parnassum (100 pieces) appears for the first time, simultaneously in Paris, Leipzig and London.
1825 in music – Birth of Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer; Songs from Sir Walter Scott by Franz Schubert, including "Ellens dritter Gesang" (Schubert's Ave Maria); The Octet by Felix Mendelssohn Antonio Salieri dies
1824 in music – Birth of Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer and organist; Beethoven's 9th Symphony
1823 in music – Die schöne Müllerin by Franz Schubert
1822 in music
1821 in music – Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber, premieres in Berlin
1820 in music

1810s

1819 in music – April 16, The publication of Muzio Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum Volume II is entered at Stationer's Hall, London. September 13, Birth of Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer.
1818 in music – Hammerklavier sonate by Ludwig van Beethoven; "Silent Night" written by Josef Mohr and composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, – The first performance of Silent Night on December 25, (Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria).
1817 in music – March 1, Muzio Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum Volume I is published simultaneously in London, Paris and Leipzig.
1816 in music – Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) by Gioachino Rossini, premieres in Rome
1815 in music
1814 in music – Symphony No. 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven
1813 in music – Birth of French-Jewish composer and ultra virtuoso pianist Charles-Valentin Alkan; Birth of German composer Richard Wagner; Birth of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, Symphony No. 7 by Ludwig van Beethoven
1812 in music – Birth of German composer Friedrich von Flotow; Birth of Swiss composer and virtuoso pianist Sigismund Thalberg.
1811 in music – Birth of Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist Franz Liszt.
1810 in music – Birth of Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin; Birth of German composer and virtuoso pianist Robert Schumann; Ludwig van Beethoven completes his Fifth Piano Concerto Emperor.

1800s

1809 in music – Birth of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, German composer, pianist, organist and conductor; Death of Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer
1808 in music – Beethoven completes his 6th Symphony "Pastoral", Beethoven's 5th Symphony
1807 in music – La Vestale by Gaspare Spontini, Symphony No. 4 by Ludwig van Beethoven
1806 in music – Fourth Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven
1805 in music – Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven
1804 in music – Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' by Ludwig van Beethoven
1803 in music – Birth of Hector Berlioz, French composer Symphony No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven
1802 in music – Bach's Sonatas and partitas for solo violin are published by Bote and Bock
1801 in music – Birth of Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini, Italian opera composer, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
1800 in music – Symphony No. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven

1790s

1799 in music –
1798 in music – Joseph Haydn's The Creation
1797 in music – Joseph Haydn's Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser; Birth of Franz Schubert, Austrian composer and pianist and Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti, Italian opera composer
1796 in music –
1795 in music – First Beethoven Piano Sonatas written (Op. 2)
1794 in music –
1793 in music – Scots Wha Hae
1792 in music – Birth of Gioachino Antonio Rossini, Italian composer
1791 in music – Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute); death of Mozart
1790 in music –

1780s

1789 in music – Mozart's Così fan tutte
1788 in music – Death of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer and keyboardist
1787 in music – Mozart's Don Giovanni
1786 in music – Birth of Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber, German opera composer, Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (The marriage of Figaro)
1785 in music – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composes his Piano Concerto No. 21
1784 in music –
1783 in music –
1782 in music – Birth of Niccolò Paganini, Italian composer and ultra virtuoso violinist; Death of Johann Christian Bach, German composer, Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
1781 in music –
1780 in music –

1770s

1779 in music –
1778 in music –
1777 in music – Il mondo della luna by Joseph Haydn, premieres in Eszterháza, Hungary
1776 in music –
1775 in music –
1774 in music –
1773 in music –
1772 in music –
1771 in music –
1770 in music – Ludwig van Beethoven born

1760s

1769 in music –
1768 in music –
1767 in music –
1766 in music –
1765 in music –
1764 in music – Death of Jean-Philippe Rameau, French composer and music theorist
1763 in music –
1762 in music – Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck, premieres in Vienna
1761 in music –
1760 in music – La buona figliuola by Niccolò Piccinni, premieres in Rome

1750s

1759 in music – George Frideric Handel dies
1758 in music –
1757 in music – Death of Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer and harpsichordist
1756 in music – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born
1755 in music –
1754 in music –
1753 in music –
1752 in music – Muzio Clementi born
1751 in music –
1750 in music – Johann Sebastian Bach dies, Antonio Salieri born

1740s

1749 in music – Johann Sebastian Bach finishes his Mass in B Minor; George Frideric Handel composes the Music for the Royal Fireworks
1748 in music -
1747 in music – Johann Sebastian Bach finishes his Musical Offering
1746 in music –
1745 in music –
1744 in music – Johann Sebastian Bach finishes the Book II from The Well-Tempered Clavier
1743 in music –
1742 in music – première of Messiah by George Frideric Handel, in Dublin
1741 in music – Death of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, Italian composer and violinist Bach's Goldberg Variations are published
1740 in music –

1730s

1739 in music – The Clavier-Übung III by Johann Sebastian Bach is published
1738 in music –
1737 in music –
1736 in music – Alexander's Feast by George Frideric Handel
1735 in music – Birth of Johann Christian Bach, German composer
1734 in music –
1733 in music – La serva padrona by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, the first opera buffa, premieres in Naples; Hippolyte et Aricie by Jean-Philippe Rameau, premieres in Paris, Death of François Couperin, French composer and harpsichordist
1732 in music – Joseph Haydn born
1731 in music –
1730 in music –

1720s

1729 in music –
1728 in music – The Beggar's Opera by John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch, premieres in London
1727 in music – Zadok the Priest (the coronation anthem) by George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach finishes and presents his St Matthew Passion
1726 in music –
1725 in music – publication of Twelve concerti, Op. 8 by Antonio Vivaldi, including the Four Seasons – Death of Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer
1724 in music – Giulio Cesare by George Frideric Handel premières in London, Johann Sebastian Bach presents his St John Passion
1723 in music – Vivaldi composes The Four Seasons
1722 in music – Johann Sebastian Bach finishes the Book I from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Traité de l'harmonie by Jean-Philippe Rameau causes a revolution in music theory.
1721 in music –
1720 in music – Johann Sebastian Bach presents his Brandenburg Concertos to Christian Ludwig; Johann Sebastian Bach completes the Sonatas and partitas for solo violin

1710s

1719 in music –
1718 in music –
1717 in music – Water Music by George Frideric Handel
1716 in music – Juditha triumphans is composed by Antonio Vivaldi
1715 in music –
1714 in music – Birth of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer
1713 in music – Death: Arcangelo Corelli, Italian composer and violinist
1712 in music –
1711 in music – Rinaldo by Handel, premieres in London, the first all-Italian opera performed in London
1710 in music – Agrippina by Handel, premieres in Venice

1700s

1709 in music –
1708 in music –
1707 in music –
1706 in music – Johann Pachelbel dies
1705 in music –
1704 in music –
1703 in music –
1702 in music –
1701 in music –
1700 in music –

1690s

1699 in music –
1698 in music –
1697 in music –
1696 in music –
1695 in music – Henry Purcell dies
1694 in music –
1693 in music –
1692 in music –
1691 in music – King Arthur by Henry Purcell
1690 in music –

1680s

1689 in music – Dido and Aeneas, opera, by Henry Purcell and Nahum Tate (libretto) performed
1688 in music –
1687 in music – Death of Jean-Baptiste Lully, French composer
1686 in music –
1685 in music – Albion and Albanius, opera, by Louis Grabu; Birth of: Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Häendel (German composers, organists and harpsichordists); Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer and harpsichordist
1684 in music –
1683 in music – Birth of Jean-Philippe Rameau, French composer and music theorist
1682 in music –
1681 in music –
1680 in music –

1670s

1679 in music –
1678 in music – Birth of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, Italian composer and violinist
1677 in music –
1676 in music –
1675 in music – Psyche by Matthew Locke
1674 in music –
1673 in music –
1672 in music –
1671 in music –
1670 in music –

1660s

1669 in music –
1668 in music – Birth of François Couperin, French composer and harpsichordist
1667 in music –
1666 in music –
1665 in music –
1664 in music – Heinrich Schutz completes Weihnachtshistorie
1663 in music –
1662 in music –
1661 in music –
1660 in music – Birth of Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer and harpsichordist

1650s

1659 in music – Henry Purcell born
1658 in music –
1657 in music –
1656 in music –
1655 in music –
1654 in music –
1653 in music – Arcangelo Corelli, Johann Pachelbel born
1652 in music –
1651 in music – La Calisto by Francesco Cavalli
1650 in music –

1640s

1649 in music – Giasone by Francesco Cavalli, pr

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Timeline of musical events

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List of 10 best-selling albums of the 2000s

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List of 10 best-selling albums of the 1990s

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