1841 in music

Events

• April 13 – The first Dresden opera house in Germany opens with the performance of a work by Carl Maria von Weber.
• Robert Schumann writes two symphonies: Symphony No. 1 in Bb, opus 38 (also called the "Spring" symphony), and Symphony No. 4 in D-minor, opus 120. (The D-minor symphony is edited extensively by Schumann in 1851, and thus is given a much later opus number and subsequently referred to as No. 4, although it is actually his second.)
• Tenor Domenico Donzelli retires from the stage.
• Nikolay Afanas'yev resigns as concertmaster of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra in order to conduct the serf orchestra of a wealthy landowner at Vïksa, near St Petersburg.

Popular music

• August Heinrich Hoffmann – "Deutschlandlied" (to music written in 1797 by Joseph Haydn)
• Marion Dix Sullivan – "The Blue Juniata"

Classical music

• Adolphe Adam – Giselle (ballet)
• Hector Berlioz – Les nuits d'été
• Johannes Verhulst – Symphony in E minor

Opera

• Daniel Auber – Les diamants de la couronne
• Michael William Balfe – Keolanthe
• Gaetano Donizetti – Adelia
• Fromental Halévy – La reine de Chypre
• Franz Lachner – Caterina Cornaro
• Giovanni Pacini – L'uomo del mistero

Births

• January 15 – Thorvald Lammers, singer, conductor and composer (died 1922)
• January 18 – Emmanuel Chabrier, composer (died 1894)
• January 23 – Sigismund Bachrich, violinist and composer (died 1913)
• January 28 – Viktor Nessler, composer (died 1890)
• January 31 – Michael Maybrick, composer and singer, better known as "Stephen Adams" (died 1913)
• February 10 – Sir Walter Parratt, organist and composer (died 1924)
• February 19
  • Elfrida Andrée, organist, conductor and composer (died 1929)
  • Felipe Pedrell, composer (died 1922)
• March 1 – Romualdo Marenco, composer for ballet (died 1907)
• May 15 – Giovanni Bolzoni, violinist and composer (died 1919)
• May 21 – Joseph Parry, composer (died 1903)
• May 28 – Giovanni Sgambati,
• July 9 – Carl Christian Lumbye, Danish composer, son of Hans Christian Lumbye
• July 18 – Hedvig Willman, Swedish opera singer (died 1887)
• September 8 – Antonín Dvořák, composer (died 1904)
• September 26 – Signor Brocolini, opera singer (died 1906)
• October 11 – Friedrich Hegar, violinist, conductor and composer (died 1927)
• November 4 – Carl Tausig, pianist and composer (died 1871)
• November 29 – Joe Wilson, singer and songwriter (died 1875)

Deaths

• January 25 – Maria Anna Thekla Mozart, "Marianne", cousin and correspondent of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born 1758)
• February 14 – Antun Sorkočević, diplomat, writer and composer (born 1775)
• February 17 – Ferdinando Carulli, composer for guitar (born 1770)
• May 18 – John Thomson, composer (born 1805)
• June 12 – Konstantinos Nikolopoulos, archaeologist and composer (born 1786)
• July 3 – Rosemond Mountain, actress and singer (born 1780s?)
• August 13 – Bernhard Romberg, cellist and composer (born 1767)
• August 24
  • Friedrich Curschmann, songwriter and singer (born 1805)
  • Theodore Hook, writer and composer (born 1788)
• August 27 – Ignaz von Seyfried, conductor and composer (born 1776)
• September 15 – Alessandro Rolla, violinist, composer and music teacher (born 1757)
• September 16 – Thomas John Dibdin, songwriter (born 1771)
• October 16 – Domenico Barbaia, impresario (born 1778)
• October 28 – Francesco Morlacchi, composer (born 1784)
• December 22 – Daniil Kashin, pianist, conductor and composer (born 1769)
• date unknown – Justina Casagli, opera singer (born 1794) (suicide)