Timeline of musical events

Contents:
Ancient music – Early history – 1500s – 1510s – 1520s – 1530s – 1540s – 1550s – 1560s – 1570s – 1580s – 1590s – 1600s – 1610s – 1620s – 1630s – 1640s – 1650s – 1660s – 1670s – 1680s – 1690s – 1700s – 1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – 1950s – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s – 2010s

Popular music
Timeline of musical events
2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1910s 1900s 1890s 1880s 1870s 1860s 1850s 1840s 1830s 1820s 1810s 1800s 1790s 1780s 1770s 1760s 1750s 1740s 1730s 1720s 1710s 1700s 1690s 1680s 1670s 1660s 1650s 1640s 1630s 1620s 1610s 1600s 1590s 1580s 1570s 1560s 1550s 1540s 1530s 1520s 1510s 1500s Early history
List of popular music genres

2010s

• 2016 in music, 2016 in American music
• 2015 in music, 2015 in American music
  • Death of Rod McKuen, Lesley Gore, Percy Sledge, B.B. King, Jean Ritchie, Ronnie Gilbert, Ornette Coleman, Theodore Bikel, Bob Johnston, Gary Richrath

• • Notable Releases:
    • Blur's "Magic Whip"

• • Legend Jerry Lee Lewis embarks on final tour of England.
• 2014 in music, 2014 in American music
  • Death of Phil Everly, Pete Seeger, Casey Kasem, Bobby Womack, Tommy Ramone, Johnny Winter, Paco De Lucia, Jack Bruce, Bobby Keys, Joe Cocker
  • Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney perform together on 50th anniversary celebration to the Beatles, with performances by various artists.
  • Notable releases:
    • Taylor Swift's 1989
    • One Direction's Four
    • Jake Bugg's Shangri-La
    • Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1
    • Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete
    • U2's Songs of Innocence
    • Beck's Morning Phase
    • Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour
    • Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint
• 2013 in music
  • Death of Patti Page, Cecil Womack, Lil Snupe, Alvin Lee, Clive Burr, Jeff Hanneman, Lou Reed, and Ray Manzarek.
  • Notable release:
    • Lorde's Pure Heroine
    • Lady Gaga's Artpop
    • Katy Perry's Prism
• 2012 in music, 2012 in British music, 2012 in Canadian music
  • Death of Ian Bargh, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Ravi Shankar, Davy Jones, Earl Scruggs, Levon Helm, Adam Yauch, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb, Doc Watson, Bob Welch, Kitty Wells, Jon Lord, Andy Williams, Jenni Rivera, Mitch Lucker, and Dave Brubeck.
  • The Beach Boys embark on a 2012 world tour celebrating their 50th Anniversary.
  • English singer-songwriter Jake Bugg releases his debut album, Jake Bugg.
  • Madonna's 12th studio album is released, entitled MDNA. It tops the charts across the globe including the United Kingdom where she becomes the solo artist with the most number one albums and the UK breaks the iTunes pre-order record.^[1] To support the album she embarks on The MDNA Tour which grosses over $305 million and becomes the second highest grossing female tour, behind her own Sticky and Sweet Tour.
  • South Korean pop singer Psy releases his album Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1.
  • Nicki Minaj releases her album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
  • Kesha releases Warrior
  • Taylor Swift releases Red
• 2011 in music, 2011 in British music
  • Death of Mike Starr, Ferlin Husky, Gil Scott-Heron, Clarence Clemons, Amy Winehouse, Sylvia Robinson, Bert Jansch, and Dobie Gray.
  • English singer Adele released the album 21, which had sold 26.4 million copies worldwide according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, became the best selling album in the past 15 years, and also won six Grammys.
  • Lady Gaga releases her album Born This Way
• 2010 in music, 2010 in British music, 2010 in Japanese music
  • Tour of Jerry Lee Lewis.
  • Death of Teddy Pendergrass, Ed Thigpen, Kate McGarrigle, Ronnie James Dio, Peter Steele, Paul Gray, Lena Horne, Jimmy Dean, Tuli Kupferberg, Eddie Fisher, Joan Sutherland and Bobby Farrell.
  • Notable releases:
    • Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach"
    • Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday
    • Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
    • Katy Perry's Teenage Dream
    • Kesha releases her first studio album, Kesha, as well as her first EP, Cannibal.

2000s

Live 8 concerts took place in 9 countries worldwide during 2005.

• 2009 in music, 2009 in British music
  • Deaths of Michael Jackson, James Owen Sullivan, Leon Kirchner, Les Paul, Ali Akbar Khan, Merce Cunningham, Ron Asheton, Henri Pousseur, Mary Travers, Stephen Gately, and Alain Bashung.
  • Lady Gaga releases The Fame Monster
  • Flo Rida releases his studio album R.O.O.T.S.. His lead single "Right Round" introduces future pop star Kesha to a mainstream audience.
  • Noel Gallagher departs from Oasis after 18 years.
• 2008 in music, 2008 in British music
  • Deaths of Mauricio Kagel, Artie Traum, Wilfrid Mellers, LeRoi Moore, Erik Darling, Isaac Hayes, Bo Diddley, Richard Wright, Nick Reynolds, Mitch Mitchell, Miriam Makeba, Odetta, Eartha Kitt, Freddie Hubbard, and Robert Hazard.
  • Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" becomes her 18th U.S. chart-topper, setting the record for most U.S. number ones singles by a solo artist — only behind The Beatles with 20 - and most weeks at number one on the Hot 100 chart with a total of 79.
  • Lil Wayne released Tha Carter III and sold 1 million copies in the first week, becoming the best selling album of 2008.
  • Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour becomes the highest grossing female tour of all-time (surpassing her own record) and then the highest grossing solo tour of all time. It promotes her 11th studio album Hard Candy which sells 4 million copies and includes the international hit song "4 Minutes".
  • Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak
  • Lady Gaga's first studio album, The Fame
  • Katy Perry releases her first studio album, One of the Boys
  • Taylor Swift's third studio album, Fearless releases.
• 2007 in music, 2007 in British music
  • Deaths of Beverly Sills, Max Roach, Oscar Peterson, Izumi Sakai, Luciano Pavarotti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Don Arden.
  • Live Earth and Led Zeppelin reunion.
  • Radiohead splits from EMI and independently releases In Rainbows with an online download method of payment that allows the buyer to choose their price.
  • The Mars Volta releases one of the first USB flash drive albums, as part of their The Bedlam in Goliath.
  • Kanye West releases Graduation.
• 2006 in music, 2006 in British music, 2006 in Swiss music
  • Taylor Swift releases her debut album, Taylor Swift
  • Deaths of James Brown and Syd Barrett.
• 2005 in music, 2005 in British music, 2005 in Swiss music
  • Gorillaz release the hit album, "Demon Days."
  • Mariah Carey releases her 10-million selling The Emancipation of Mimi, the best-selling album of the year worldwide, alongside the album's second single "We Belong Together", the year's most successful single, and the Song of the Decade 2000-2009.
  • Death of Luther Vandross and John Herald.
  • Pink Floyd reunion for Live 8.
  • Madonna releases Confessions on a Dance Floor, her 10th studio album. It wins a Grammy award, Brit award, sells in excess of 12 million copies and has the worldwide hit "Hung Up" which tops the charts in a record-breaking 41 countries.^[2]
  • Kanye West releases his album Late Registration
• 2004 in music, 2004 in British music
  • Death of Ray Charles and Dimebag Darrell.
  • Danger Mouse releases The Grey Album, sparking days of electronic disobedience by internet file sharers against EMI.
  • Green Day releases American Idiot to critical acclaim.
  • Canadian singer Celine Dion became recipient of the Diamond award, and she was honored in 2004 by World Music Awards receiving the best selling female artist of all time.
  • Debuts by
    • Kanye West (The College Dropout)
• 2003 in music, 2003 in British music
  • Death of Celia Cruz, Johnny Cash, and John Serry, Sr..
• 2002 in music, 2002 in British music
  • Death of Waylon Jennings, Dave Van Ronk, Layne Staley, Lisa Left-Eye Lopes, Lonnie Donegan and Joe Strummer.
  • Beginning of American Idol (initially titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar) which brings the arrival of first winner Kelly Clarkson.**Alan Jackson releases Drive.
• 2001 in music, 2001 in British music
  • Duran Duran is reunited with the original five members and goes on tour for the first time since 1985.
  • Michael Jackson's last studio album Invincible released.
  • Gorillaz' self-titled debut album released.
  • Napster's popularity peaks.
  • Deaths of John Lee Hooker, John Phillips, Perry Como, and Chuck Schuldiner.
  • Metallica and Dr. Dre sue Napster over illegal distribution of their music.
• 2000 in music, 2000 in British music
  • Mariah Carey becomes the Best-Selling Artist of the Millennium according to the World Music Awards.
  • Britney Spears' Oops!... I Did It Again sells over 23 million copies and becomes the best-selling album by a female artist of the decade.
  • Blink-182 enjoy mainstream success (mainly from their hit single "All the Small Things") and lead pop-punk into the 21st Century.
  • Madonna releases her album Music, which goes on to sell 15 million copies, becomes universally acclaimed and nominated for 5 Grammy awards. It follows her 1998 comeback Ray of Light.

List of 10 best-selling albums of the 2000s

1. The Beatles - 1 - 31 million^[3] - 2000
2. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me - 26 million^[4] - 2002
3. Backstreet Boys - Black & Blue - 24 million^[5][6] - 2000
4. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory - 24 million^[7] - 2000
5. Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again - 20 million^[8] - 2000
6. Usher - Confessions - 20 million^[9] - 2004
7. Eminem - The Eminem Show - 19 million^[10] - 2002
8. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP - 19 million^[10][11] - 2000
9. Avril Lavigne - Let Go - 17 million^[12] - 2002
10. Evanescence - Fallen - 17 million^[13] - 2003

1990s

• 1999 in music, 1999 in British music
  • Arrival of Britney Spears, Coldplay, Jenni Rivera, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Slipknot, Muse and Jennifer Lopez.
  • Death of Rick Danko and Curtis Mayfield.
  • Notable releases:
    • Blink-182's Enema of the State
    • Lynda Thomas' Mi Día de la Independencia
    • Backstreet Boys' Millennium
• 1998 in music, 1998 in British music.
  • Deaths of:
    • Frank Sinatra
    • Hide
  • Lauryn Hill releases The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
  • The Offspring releases Americana.
  • "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith becomes the first song by a rock band to debut at #1.
  • Insane Clown Posse gets dropped from Disney record label Hollywood Records after the release of The Great Milenko in order for Disney to prevent a violent Southern Baptist Church protest due to Disney World's Gay Days events.
  • Madonna releases her seventh studio album Ray of Light which goes on to sell over 16 million copies, become universally acclaimed and win 4 Grammy Awards.
  • Geri Halliwell leaves the Spice Girls
• 1997 in music, 1997 in British music
  • Death of John Denver, Jeff Buckley, Townes Van Zandt, The Notorious B.I.G., Michael Hutchence, and Velvet.
  • Notable releases:
    • Radiohead's OK Computer
    • Mariah Carey's #1's, selling 17 million copies.
    • Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love, which sold over 31 million copies worldwide. Lead single "My Heart Will Go On" became the best selling single of the year and the second best selling single by a female artist of all time.
• 1996 in music, 1996 in British music
  • Death of Ella Fitzgerald, Tupac Shakur, and Brad Nowell.
  • Arrival of Lynda Thomas, The Spice Girls.
  • Guns N' Roses break up, later reuniting for 2008's Chinese Democracy.
  • Pink Floyd disband.
  • Celine Dion released the album Falling into You, selling over 32 million copies worldwide.
• 1995 in music, 1995 in British music
  • Michael Jackson releases HIStory, the best-selling multi-disc album of all time.^[14][15] This double album contains "You Are Not Alone" - the first single ever to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number one.^[16]
  • Death of Jerry Garcia, Dean Martin, Phyllis Hyman, Selena, Burl Ives, and Eazy-E.
  • Mariah Carey becomes the first female artist in history to have a song debut at number one with Fantasy.
  • Carey and band Boyz II Men releases the multiple record holding "One Sweet Day", the single with the most weeks at number and the Song of the Decade 1990-1999.
  • Queen releases their final album Made in Heaven following the death of frontman Freddie Mercury.
• 1994 in music, 1994 in British music
  • Deaths of:
    • Dinah Shore
    • Kurt Cobain
  • Debuts by:
    • Oasis (Definitely Maybe)
    • Weezer (The Blue Album)
    • Brandy
  • Other albums released:
    • Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, their last album until 2014's The Endless River.
    • Madonna's Bedtime Stories
    • Blur's Parklife
    • Green Day's major-label debut, Dookie, with the hits "Longview", "Welcome to Paradise", "Basket Case", "When I Come Around" and "She".
    • The Offspring's Smash
    • Soundgarden's Superunknown
    • R.E.M.'s Monster
    • NOFX's Punk in Drublic
    • Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral
    • Bad Religion's Stranger Than Fiction, which they earn their first (and only) US gold record for the first time in its 15-year career.
    • Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas, with its multi-platinum lead single "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which eventually becomes the nineteenth best-selling digital single of the 20th century.
    • Beck's major-label debut, Mellow Gold.
• 1993 in music, 1993 in British music
  • Debuts by:
    • Cynic (Focus)
    • Rancid (Rancid)
    • Snoop Doggy Dogg (Doggystyle)
    • Tool (Undertow)
    • Wu-Tang Clan (Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers))
  • Nirvana release their final album, titled In Utero.
  • Deaths of Frank Zappa, Marian Anderson, and Dizzy Gillespie.
  • Mariah Carey releases her 32-million selling Music Box album.
  • Bad Religion signs to Atlantic Records, where the band later achieves success.
  • Other albums released:
    • Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales
    • Duran Duran's The Wedding Album
• 1992 in music, 1992 in British music
  • Debut albums by Body Count (Body Count), Dr. Dre (The Chronic), Pavement (Slanted and Enchanted), Rage Against the Machine (Rage Against the Machine), Stone Temple Pilots (Core), Sublime (40oz. to Freedom), Therapy? (Nurse), Ugly Kid Joe (America's Least Wanted) and Tori Amos (Little Earthquakes) are released.
  • Death of John Cage and Yutaka Ozaki.
  • U2 start the Zoo TV Tour
  • Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
  • Other releases:
    • R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People
    • Madonna's sexually provocative Sex book which was accompanied by the double-platinum album Erotica. It becomes one of the most controversial books and albums ever released but enjoys commercial success. From it, Madonna made $500 million for her label.^[17]
    • The soundtrack to the film The Bodyguard, the best selling soundtrack album of all time, selling over 45 million copies worldwide to date and its leading single "I Will Always Love You" became the best selling single by a female artist (Whitney Houston) of all time, selling over 15 million copies.
    • Faith No More's Angel Dust
• 1991 in music
  • Debut albums by:
    • Blur (Leisure)
    • Cypress Hill (Cypress Hill)
    • EMF (Schubert Dip)
    • The Infectious Grooves (The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves)
    • Kyuss (Wretch)
    • Massive Attack (Blue Lines)
    • Pearl Jam (Ten)
    • The Smashing Pumpkins (Gish)
    • Beck (Golden Fields)
  • Death of Miles Davis, Freddie Mercury, Eric Carr, Steve Clark.
  • Notable releases:
    • Nirvana's Nevermind
    • Michael Jackson's - Dangerous
    • U2's Achtung Baby
  • Mariah Carey wins Grammy award for Best New Artist. Mariah Carey becomes the only artist in history to have their first 5 consecutive singles reach number one in the US.
• 1990 in music, 1990 in British music
  • Debut albums by Alice in Chains (Facelift), Cannibal Corpse (Eaten Back to Life), Mariah Carey (Mariah Carey), Deee-Lite (World Clique), Green Day (39/Smooth), Helmet (Strap It On), Ice Cube (AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted), Primus (Frizzle Fry), Ride (Nowhere) and A Tribe Called Quest (People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm) are released.
  • Death of Sarah Vaughan, Leonard Bernstein, Johnnie Ray, and Sammy Davis, Jr..
  • Milli Vanilli becomes exposed as a music fraud.

List of 10 best-selling albums of the 1990s

1. Whitney Houston / Various artists - The Bodyguard - 45 million^[18][19] - 1992
2. Backstreet Boys - Millennium - 30 million^[20][21] - 1999
3. Shania Twain - Come On Over - 40 million^[22] - 1997
4. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill - 33 million^[23] - 1995
5. Mariah Carey - Music Box - 32 million^[24] - 1993
6. Celine Dion - Falling into You - 32 million^[25] - 1996
7. Michael Jackson - Dangerous - 32 million^[26][27] - 1991
8. Celine Dion - Let's Talk About Love - 31 million^[28] - 1997
9. Madonna - The Immaculate Collection - 30 million^[29][30] - 1990
10. Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time - 30 million^[31][32] - 1999

1980s

• 1989 in music, 1989 in British music
  • Debut albums are released by:
    • 3rd Bass (The Cactus Album)
    • De La Soul (3 Feet High and Rising)
    • The D.O.C. (No One Can Do It Better)
    • Morbid Angel (Altars of Madness)
    • Nine Inch Nails (Pretty Hate Machine)
    • Nirvana (Bleach)
    • The Offspring (The Offspring)
    • The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses)
  • Other albums released:
    • Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
    • Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood, one of the notable hard rock/heavy metal albums to top the Billboard 200
    • "Weird Al" Yankovic's soundtrack to the film UHF
  • Ice Cube departs from N.W.A after financial problems and several conflicts with their manager Jerry Heller and the group's founder Eazy-E, and begins a solo career.
• 1988 in music
  • Debut albums are released by:
    • Biz Markie (Goin' Off)
    • Tracy Chapman (Tracy Chapman)
    • Danzig (Danzig)
    • Eazy-E (Eazy-Duz-It)
    • EPMD (Strictly Business)
    • Jane's Addiction (Nothing's Shocking)
    • Living Colour (Vivid)
    • Morrissey (Viva Hate)
    • N.W.A (Straight Outta Compton)
    • NOFX (Liberal Animation)
    • The Pixies (Surfer Rosa)
    • Soundgarden (Ultramega OK)
  • Other albums released:
    • Bon Jovi's New Jersey, which charts five consecutive Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the most ever for a hard rock album
    • Bad Religion's Suffer
    • Bathory's Blood Fire Death, marking the arrival of the Viking metal genre
  • Whitney Houston with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100 chart, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number one hits, breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and the Bee Gees.
  • Formation of the Traveling Wilburys
  • Death of Roy Orbison
  • Births of:
    • B.o.B
    • Big Sean
    • Rihanna
• 1987 in music -
• Notable releases:
  • Michael Jackson's Bad, which is the first album to have 5 consecutive #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.^[16]
  • Whitney Houston's Whitney, making her the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the first artist to enter the albums chart at number one in both the US and UK, while also hitting number one or top ten in dozens of other countries around the world. The album's first single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at No. 1.
  • Def Leppard's Hysteria
  • U2's The Joshua Tree, with the No. 1 hits "With or Without You", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Where the Streets Have No Name"
• The Beastie Boys' debut Licensed to Ill, released the year before, becomes the first hip hop record to reach number one on the Billboard 200.
• Death of legendary record producer John H. Hammond.
• Debuts by:
  • Death (Scream Bloody Gore)
  • Guns N' Roses (Appetite for Destruction)
• 1986 in music
  • Aerosmith re-records "Walk This Way" with rap group Run-D.M.C. which blends rock and rap music, introduces rap music to a mainstream audience for the first time, and marks the beginning of the resurrection of Aerosmith's career, one of rock's most remarkable comebacks
  • Notable releases:
    • Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet which stays at #1 on the Billboard 200 for 4 weeks
    • Metallica's Master of Puppets
    • Megadeth's Peace Sells... But Who's Buying
    • Slayer's Reign in Blood
    • Janet Jackson's Control
    • Madonna's True Blue, which goes on to sell over 25 million copies and becomes the best-selling female album of the decade.
  • Deaths of:
    • Benny Goodman
    • Richard Manuel
    • Cliff Burton
• 1985 in music - Death of Ricky Nelson, Live Aid and Farm Aid benefit concerts, Whitney Houston releases her first self-titled album which becomes the most successful female debut album of all time. Duran Duran records A View to a Kill to the James Bond movie of the same name. This single remains the only Bond theme to go to Number 1 on the US charts, and the highest-placed Bond theme on the UK chart where it reached Number 2. The famous hard rock band Guns N' Roses was formed in Los Angeles, influential thrash metal band Megadeth release their debut album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!.
• 1984 in music -
  • Deaths of:
    • Marvin Gaye
    • Jackie Wilson
  • Akhnaten by Philip Glass premieres in Stuttgart
  • Notable releases:
    • The Bob Marley & The Wailers compilation album Legend, the best-selling reggae album of all time
    • Prince's soundtrack to the film Purple Rain
    • Tina Turner's Private Dancer
    • Van Halen's 1984, which contains the #1 single "Jump" and becomes their last studio album to feature David Lee Roth on vocals until 2012's A Different Kind of Truth
  • Duran Duran was the first group ever to utilize a monitor in concert to project their performance.
  • R. Murray Schafer's Concerto for flute and orchestra peroformed featuring Robert Aitken on flute.
  • Michael Jackson's album Thriller wins a record-breaking 8 Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys.
  • The self-titled debut album by Swedish band Bathory, pioneers of black metal and Viking metal, is released.
• 1983 in music
  • Death of Muddy Waters
  • Notable releases:
    • New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies and "Blue Monday", the biggest-selling 12-inch record of all time.
    • Def Leppard's Pyromania
    • The Police's Synchronicity
  • Debuts by:
    • Metallica (Kill 'Em All)
    • Madonna (self-titled)
    • Sonic Youth (Confusion is Sex)
    • Wham! (Fantastic)
    • "Weird Al" Yankovic (self-titled)
    • Pantera (Metal Magic)
    • Cyndi Lauper (She's So Unusual)
    • R.E.M. (Murmur)
  • Irene Cara releases her top hit "Flashdance... What a Feeling".
• 1982 in music - Death of Thelonious Monk, Lightnin' Hopkins, Glenn Gould, Randy Rhoads; Michael Jackson releases Thriller, the best-selling album of all time; Blondie disband; The compact disc is introduced. English band Venom release Black Metal, coining the term which would later be associated with the black metal genre.
• 1981 in music - MTV first airs; Death of Bob Marley
• 1980 in music -
  • Deaths of:
    • Ian Curtis
    • Bon Scott
    • John Lennon
    • John Bonham
    • Tim Hardin
    • Vinicius de Moraes
  • Debuts by:
    • U2 (Boy)
    • Bryan Adams (self-titled)
    • Iron Maiden (self-titled)
    • Sheena Easton (Take My Time)
  • Other releases:
    • AC/DC's Back in Black

1970s

• 1979 in music
  • Deaths of:
    • Richard Rodgers
    • Charles Mingus
    • Sid Vicious
  • Birth of Norah Jones
  • The Sony Walkman goes on sale
  • Notable releases:
    • The Clash's London Calling
    • Pink Floyd's The Wall
    • Michael Jackson's Off the Wall
    • Donna Summer's Bad Girls
    • Anita Ward's Ring My Bell
    • Public Image Ltd.'s Metal Box
    • Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", marking the official birth of rap
• 1978 in music
  • Notable releases:
    • The Who's Who Are You
    • Blondie's Parallel Lines
  • Death of Keith Moon
  • Debuts by:
    • Prince (For You)
    • Van Halen (Van Halen)
    • Dire Straits (Dire Straits)
    • Public Image Ltd. (Public Image: First Issue)
• 1977 in music - Sex Pistols release Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols; Death of Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, Marc Bolan; Fleetwood Mac releases Rumours; Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever; Lynyrd Skynyrd Convair 240 plane crash; Steve Hackett leaves Genesis; Birth of Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance
• 1976 in music - Death of Paul Robeson, Phil Ochs, Howlin' Wolf; The Eagles release Hotel California, Abba release Dancing Queen, the Ramones release their self-titled debut album; The Band has a final concert called The Last Waltz; Birth of Emma Bunton
• 1975 in music - Death of Dmitri Shostakovich, Tim Buckley, Umm Kulthum; Bob Dylan begins Rolling Thunder Revue; Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run; Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks; Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti; Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic; Patti Smith – Horses; Release of Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby; Peter Gabriel leaves Genesis; Queen releases A Night at the Opera; Birth of Melanie Brown
• 1974 in music - Death of Duke Ellington, Nick Drake; Birth of Melanie Chisholm and Victoria Beckham; Release of Genesis's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway; Abba win the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo, Olivia Newton-John places fourth with Long Live Love.
• 1973 in music - Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon, Death of Bobby Darin, Gram Parsons; Birth of Ferry Corsten; The Who's Quadrophenia Released; Buffalo, Volcanic Rock, Diana Ross released Touch Me in the Morning, Maureen McGovern releases The Morning After, Roberta Flack releases Killing Me Softly With His Song, Marie Osmond releases Paper Roses
• 1972 in music - Birth of The Notorious B.I.G., The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. Birth of Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty; Birth of Eminem, Geri Halliwell, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool and Mark Hoppus; Bette Midler releases The Divine Miss M
• 1971 in music - Birth of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg; Death of Igor Stravinsky, Duane Allman, Louis Armstrong, Jim Morrison, Carl Ruggles; Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV, Marvin Gaye - What's Going On, The Who - Who's Next, Joni Mitchell - Blue; Birth of the band Queen
• All Things Must Pass

1960s

• 1969 in music - Death of Brian Jones; - Death of Judy Garland; Woodstock music festival held in Bethel, New York; Birth of Tiësto and Jennifer Lopez, Jenni Rivera; The Beatles - Abbey Road, Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline, The Who's Tommy released, Jackson 5 appearance on Ed Sullivan, King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
• 1968 in music - Birth of Toni Braxton; - Van Morrison - Astral Weeks, The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet, The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland, Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin, The Beatles - The Beatles (AKA The White Album), Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison, The Band - Music from Big Pink; Birth of John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) and Thom Yorke Anne Murray releases What About Me
• 1967 in music - Birth of Kurt Cobain, Chuck Schuldiner; Death of Woody Guthrie, John Coltrane, Otis Redding; The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour, The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love, Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, The Doors - The Doors (with the hit single, "Light My Fire"), Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding, The 13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere; Monterey Pop Festival
• 1966 in music - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds, Cream - Fresh Cream, The Beatles - Revolver, Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde, The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
• 1965 in music - The Beatles - Help!, The Beatles - Rubber Soul, Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited (with the single "Like a Rolling Stone"), The Rolling Stones - Out of Our Heads (with the single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"), Herman's Hermits debut; Death of Edgard Varèse, Nat King Cole.
• 1964 in music - Birth of Robert Trujillo - Death of Sam Cooke, Milton Babbitt, Ensembles For Synthesizer; The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show; The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night, Bill Lear invents 8-track tape cartridge; Bob Dylan - The Times They Are a-Changin', British Invasion begins, Beatlemania invades America and becomes international, The Righteous Brothers become the first white act signed to Phil Spector’s Philles label. The Beach Boys - I Get Around released and hits No. 1.
• 1963 in music - First cassette tapes made by Philips, The Beatles - Please Please Me, Birth of Paul Oakenfold, Birth of Whitney Houston, Birth of Eazy-E; Death of Patsy Cline, Édith Piaf; Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, The Righteous Brothers "Little Latin Lupe Lu" is released on the Moonglow label. Stevie Wonder releases his first big hit 'finger-tips - part 2' aged only 13, arguably making Motown music commercially popular for the first time even though its birth was In 1959.
• 1962 in music - "Love Me Do" released as a single by The Beatles; Bob Dylan is the debut album from the highly influential American artist of the same name. It was released on March 19, 1962 on Columbia Records, when Dylan was 20 years old. Birth of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Jon Bon Jovi, Axl Rose; Death of Marilyn Monroe
• 1961 in music - Death of Cisco Houston, Moss Hart
• 1960 in music - Birth of Bono; Death of Oscar Hammerstein II

1950s

• 1959 in music
  • Birth of Sheena Easton, Irene Cara, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Pete Burns (from Dead or Alive), and Marie Osmond.
  • Death of Billie Holiday, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Heitor Villa-Lobos.
  • Motown Records was created, with their first hit being (Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)").
  • Miles Davis releases Kind of Blue.
  • Charles Mingus releases Mingus Ah Um.
  • My Eyes Have Seen is the third influential album by American folk singer Odetta who was an important voice of the folk music revival movement in the early 1960s.
  • Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife hits No. 1 and remains there for nine weeks.
  • Rodgers and Hammerstein release The Sound of Music.
• 1958 in music Death of Ralph Vaughan Williams; Cannonball Adderley records Somethin' Else; Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Moanin'; Bruce Dickinson, Nikki Sixx, Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson are born. Born Bossa Nova a Brazilian kind of music. Carl Ruggles, Exaltation in honour of his late wife, Charlotte. Cliff Richard and The Drifters release Move It, considered Britain's first rock and roll hit single. Little Richard enters seminary.
• 1957 in music - Death of Jean Sibelius;Birth of Anita Ward; "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly and The Crickets becomes a US #1 hit; Harry Belafonte has a big hit that reached number five on the Billboard charts with the calypso song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)"; At the Gate of Horn is the second solo album by American folk singer Odetta who was a seminal influence on the folksingers of the 1960s. John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet in Liverpool.
• 1956 in music - The first Eurovision Song Contest is held on 24 May, Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show; Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues is the influential debut solo album by American folk singer Odetta.
• 1955 in music - Cole Porter's Silk Stockings; Death of Charlie Parker, "Rock Around the Clock" becomes first worldwide #1 rock and roll record; Little Richard records "Tutti-Frutti", one of the first rock and roll songs; Birth of Yo-Yo Ma, Harry James signs with Capital releasing Harry James in Hi-Fi, Lonnie Donegan released "Rock Island Line".
• 1954 in music - Elvis Presley releases "That's Alright Mama" on Sun Records; First Fender Stratocaster produced
• 1953 in music - Cole Porter's Can-Can; Death of Hank Williams, Death of Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet composer and pianist
• 1952 in music, 1952 in music (UK) - Birth of Joe Strummer, Johnny Thunders, The official UK singles chart is launched; Recording Industry Association of America (or RIAA) established
• 1951 in music - "Rocket 88" is recorded by Ike Turner and hailed as the first rock 'n' roll song; The Rake's Progress by Igor Stravinsky premieres in Venice. Birth of Joey Ramone; The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein
• 1950 in music - Birth of Stevie Wonder, Agnetha Fältskog; Death of Kurt Weill, Al Jolson, Vaslav Nijinsky

1940s

• 1949 in music - Birth of Bruce Springsteen, Maureen McGovern, Valery Leontiev, Paul Rodgers, Billy Joel, Roger Taylor and Mark Knopfler; RCA Victor introduces 45 RPM records; South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein
• 1948 in music - Birth of Robert Plant, John Bonham, Steven Tyler, Donna Summer, Johnny Ramone, Ted Nugent, James Taylor, Alice Cooper, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, Ian Paice, Olivia Newton-John, and Ozzy Osbourne; Kiss Me, Kate - Cole Porter; Four Last Songs - Richard Strauss; Columbia Records introduces 331/3 RPM (LP) records.
• Carlos Santana
• 1946 in music - Birth of Freddie Mercury, Toquinho, Keith Moon, Benny Andersson, Bon Scott, Donovan, Linda Ronstadt, Marianne Faithfull, Gram Parsons, Cher, Patti Smith David Gilmour, John Paul Jones and Dolly Parton
• 1945 in music - Birth of Bob Marley, Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bob Seger, Bette Midler, Deborah Harry, Anne Murray, Carly Simon, John Fogerty, Rod Stewart, Kim Carnes, Davy Jones (musician), 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 (musical) - Rodgers and Hammerstein; Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss;
• 1944 in 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,
• Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, John Denver, Jack Bruce, Barry Manilow, Christine McVie, Jim Croce, Carlos (singer), Gavin Bryars, Bobby Sherman, Roger Waters and Richard Wright; 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.
• George M. Cohan
• 1941 in 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 and Ritchie Valens; Les Paul builds one of the first solid-body electric guitars;
• 1940 in music - Birth of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Frank Zappa, Tom Jones (singer), 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 - Birth of Judy Collins, Marvin Gaye, Ray Manzarek, Ginger Baker, Tina Turner and Grace Slick; Cole Porter's DuBarry Was a Lady
• 1938 in music - Birth of Peter Yarrow, Gordon Lightfoot, Ben E. King, Death of Robert Johnson, Benny Goodman presents a jazz concert in Carnegie Hall; Death of Dan W. Quinn
• Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Garth Hudson, Tom Paxton, Philip Glass, Dame Shirley Bassey, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana premieres
• 1936 in 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
• George Gershwin premieres in New York
• 1934 in 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 - Birth of James Brown, Quincy Jones, Willie Nelson, Nina Simone, Yoko Ono, Nick Reynolds
• 1932 in music - Night and Day (song) by Cole Porter; Birth of Johnny Cash, 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
• Phyllis McGuire; Death of Anna Pavlova
• 1930 in music - Birth of Ray Charles, Herbie Mann, Odetta, Sonny Rollins, Stephen Sondheim, and The Big Bopper

1920s

• 1929 in music - Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen; Birth of Beverly Sills, Bill Evans, Dick Clark, Berry Gordy, Henri Pousseur
• 1928 in 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 - Jerome Kern's Show Boat; Igor Stravinsky's Apollo; Birth of Harry Belafonte, Birth of Tom Jobim,Birth of Patti Page Brazilian composer, Birth of Ralph Stanley
• 1926 in 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 - 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.
• 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 - 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 - Birth of Ali Akbar Khan, The first commercial radio station in the United States begins broadcasting
• 1921 in music - Death of Enrico Caruso, Carl Ruggles Angels
• 1920 in music - Birth of Charlie Parker, Ravi Shankar, Isaac Stern; Death of Alberto Nepomuceno, Brazilian composer, pianist, organist and conductor

1910s

• 1919 in music - Birth of Pete Seeger, Merce Cunningham, Carl Ruggles, Toys
• 1918 in 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 - 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 -Birth of Milton Babbitt, Henri Dutilleux, Alberto Ginastera, Betty Grable, Harry James, Dinah Shore,
• 1915 in 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 - "St. Louis Blues" published; first calypso music recordings
• 1913 in music - Birth of Muddy Waters, Vinicius de Moraes; Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is premiered in Paris.
• 1912 in music - Birth of Woody Guthrie, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Cage
• 1911 in music - Birth of Robert Johnson, Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss premieres in Dresden, Death of Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor
• 1910 in music - Birth of Howlin' Wolf, Artie Shaw, John H. Hammond, Django Reinhardt

1900s

• 1909 in music - Death of Francisco Tárrega; Elektra by Richard Strauss premieres in Dresden; Birth of Benny Goodman
• 1908 in music The two first atonal pieces are composed, first by Béla Bartók and then by Arnold Schoenberg.
• 1907 in music - Death of Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (b. 1843); Birth of Gene Autry, Cab Calloway, Benny Carter, Kate Smith
• 1906 in music - 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
• 1905 in music - The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár premieres in Vienna; Salome by Richard Strauss premieres in Dresden
• 1904 in 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 - Valse triste by Jean Sibelius; Birth of Bing Crosby and Vladimir Horowitz
• 1902 in music - Birth of Richard Rodgers, Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy premieres in Paris
• 1901 in music - Birth of Louis Armstrong, Death of Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer
• 1900 in music - Tosca by Giacomo Puccini premieres in Rome

1890s

• 1899 in music - Rusalka (opera) by Antonín Dvorák; Finlandia first published by Jean Sibelius; Death of Johann Strauss II; Birth of Duke Ellington.
• Paul Robeson
• 1897 in music - Ragtime music becomes popular in the United States; Death of Brahms, Birth of Marian Anderson
• 1896 in 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
• The Laughing Song"; Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks by Richard Strauss
• 1894 in music - Cello Concerto (Dvorák) and Humoresques by Antonín Dvorák
• 1893 in music - Symphony No. 9 and String Quartet No. 12 by Antonín Dvorák; The Symphony No. 3 (Mahler) by Gustav Mahler; the Karelia Suite by Jean Sibelius; Death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky, Russian composer
• 1892 in music - Dan W. Quinn makes first recordings in New York City; Kullervo (Sibelius) by Jean Sibelius; The Nutcracker by Marius Petipa
• 1891 in music - Piano Trio No. 4 by Antonín Dvorák; Birth of Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet composer and pianist
• 1890 in music - John Philip Sousa makes first recordings with Columbia Phonograph Company; Birth of Bronislava Nijinska, choreographer (d.1972)

1880s

• 1889 in music - Birth of Vaslav Nijinsky, - Ballet dancer (d. 1950); Effie Stewart records first serious classical music at Edison's Menlo Park; First Phonograph Parlor opens in San Francisco; Kaiser-Walzer by Johann Strauss II; Death and Transfiguration by Richard Strauss
• 1888 in music - The Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler; Birth of Lead Belly, Death of Charles-Valentin Alkan, French composer and ultra virtuoso pianist, Wax phonograph cylinders commercially marketed; Emile Berliner invents lateral-cut disc records
• 1887 in music - The Havanaise (Saint-Saëns) by Camille Saint-Saëns; Birth of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer, cellist, and guitarist
• 1886 in 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; death of Franz Liszt
• 1885 in music - The Mikado - Arthur Sullivan; The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss II; Birth of Jerome Kern
• 1884 in music - Birth of Sophie Tucker
• 1883 in music - Birth of Edgard Varèse, Death of Richard Wagner, German composer
• 1882 in music - Birth of Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer, Parsifal by Richard Wagner premieres in Bayreuth; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture premiere
• 1881 in music - Birth of Béla Bartók
• 1880 in 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
• 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
• 1876 in music - Siegfried and Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner premiere in Bayreuth; Birth of Carl Ruggles
• Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiers
• Saint Petersburg; Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II premieres in Vienna; Richard Wagner concludes Götterdämmerung, finishing The Ring Cycle; Requiem (Verdi) 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
• 1866 in music - 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
• 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 Claude Debussy
• 1861 in music - Birth of Anton Arensky
• 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 - Birth 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 - First public performance of Franz Liszt's Piano Sonata in B Minor
• 1856 in music - Death of Robert Schuman, 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 – Birth of Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer, teacher and conductor; birth of 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
• 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
• 1846 in music - Adolphe Sax invents the saxophone
• 1845 in music - Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner premières in Dresden; The Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn) by Felix Mendelssohn
• 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; The Flying Dutchman 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 (Berlioz) 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 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
• 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
• 1813 in music Birth of Charles-Valentin Alkan, French composer and ultra virtuoso pianist, Richard Wagner, German composer and Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer
• 1812 in music
• 1811 in music - Franz Liszt born
• 1810 in music - Birth of Frédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann, Fifth Piano Concerto Emperor by Ludwig van Beethoven

1800s

• 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
• 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
• 1802 in music - Bach's Sonatas and partitas for solo violin are published by Bote and Bock
• 1801 in music - and Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini, Italian opera composer, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
• 1800 in music -

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

• 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

• Music for the Royal Fireworks
• 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 -
• Dublin
• 1741 in music - Bach's Goldberg Variations are published
• 1740 in music - Death of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, Italian composer and violinist

1730s

• 1739 in music - The Clavier-Übung III by Johann Sebastian Bach is published
• 1738 in music -
• 1737 in music -
• 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
• 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
• 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 -
• 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 -
• Handel, premieres in London, the first all-Italian opera performed in London
• 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 (opera) 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 -
• 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 Weihnachtstorie
• 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, premieres in Venice, the first opera to separate aria and recitative
• 1648 in music -
• 1647 in music -
• 1646 in music -
• 1645 in music -
• 1644 in music - Ormindo by Francesco Cavalli, premieres in Venice
• 1643 in music - death of Claudio Monteverdi
• 1642 in music - L'incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi, premiered in Venice
• 1641 in music -
• 1640 in music - Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria by Claudio Monteverdi, premieres in Venice

1630s

• 1639 in music -
• 1638 in music -
• 1637 in music -
• 1636 in music -
• 1635 in music -
• 1634 in music -
• 1633 in music -
• 1632 in music - Birth of Jean-Baptiste Lully, French composer
• 1631 in music -
• 1630 in music -

1620s

• 1629 in music -
• 1628 in music -
• 1627 in music -
• 1626 in music -
• 1625 in music -
• 1624 in music -
• 1623 in music -
• 1622 in music -
• 1621 in music -
• 1620 in music -

1610s

• 1619 in music - Michael Praetorius, Polyhymnia caduceatrix
• 1618 in music -
• 1617 in music - Johann Hermann Schein, Banchetto musicale
• 1616 in music -
• 1615 in music -
• 1614 in music - Marco da Gagliano, Sacrarum cantionum
• 1613 in music -
• 1612 in music -
• 1611 in music - William Byrd, Fantasia a 6, No. 3; Carlo Gesualdo, Morro lasso al mio duolo
• 1610 in music - Claudio Monteverdi, Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610

1600s

• 1609 in music -
• 1608 in music - Lamento d'Arianna by Claudio Monteverdi; Since Robin Hood by Thomas Weelkes
• 1607 in music - La Favola D'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
• 1606 in music -
• 1605 in music -
• 1604 in music -
• 1603 in music -
• 1602 in music -
• 1601 in music - Le nuove musiche by Giulio Caccini
• 1600 in music - the first oratorio: Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo by Emilio de' Cavalieri

1590s

• 1599 in music -
• 1598 in music -
• 1597 in music - John Dowland's First Book of Lute Songs; Dafne, the first known opera
• 1596 in music -
• 1595 in music -
• 1594 in music - Orlande de Lassus completes Lagrime di San Pietro (posthumously published); Orlande de Lassus dies
• 1593 in music -
• 1592 in music -
• 1591 in music -
• 1590 in music - Claudio Monteverdi, Il secondo libro de madrigali a 5

1580s

• 1589 in music -
• 1588 in music -
• 1587 in music -
• 1586 in music -
• 1585 in music -
• 1584 in music -
• 1583 in music -
• 1582 in music -
• 1581 in music - The court entertainment Ballet comique de la reine by Balthazar de Beaujoyeulx was presented on Oct. 15
• 1580 in music - Appearance of three Fantasias for viol consort by William Byrd. Founding of Concerto delle donne under the direction of Luzzasco Luzzaschi: Consisting of women voices, this group becomes a significant part of Alfonso II d'Este's court entertainment.

1570s

• 1579 in music -
• 1578 in music -
• 1577 in music -
• 1576 in music -
• 1575 in music -
• 1574 in music -
• 1573 in music -
• 1572 in music -
• 1571 in music -
• 1570 in music -

1560s

• 1569 in music -
• 1568 in music -
• 1567 in music - Birth of Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer and singer
• 1566 in music -
• 1565 in music -
• 1564 in music -
• 1563 in music -
• 1562 in music -
• 1561 in music -
• 1560 in music - First works for Viol Consort attributed to William Byrd

1550s

• 1559 in music -
• 1558 in music -
• 1557 in music -
• 1556 in music -
• 1555 in music -
• 1554 in music -
• 1553 in music -
• 1552 in music -
• 1551 in music -
• 1550 in music -

1540s

• 1549 in music -
• 1548 in music -
• 1547 in music -
• 1546 in music -
• 1545 in music -
• 1544 in music -
• 1543 in music -
• 1542 in music -
• 1541 in music -
• 1540 in music - Thomas Tallis begins writing his first works for the Latin church service.

1530s

• 1539 in music -
• 1538 in music - printing of the first Protestant hymn-book, Ein Hubsch new Gesangbuch; publication of the first book of madrigals by Maddalena Casulana, the first printed book of music by a woman in European history.
• 1537 in music -
• 1536 in music -
• 1535 in music -
• 1534 in music -
• 1533 in music -
• 1532 in music -
• 1531 in music -
• 1530 in music -

1520s

• 1529 in music -
• 1528 in music -
• 1527 in music -
• 1526 in music -
• 1525 in music - birth of Palestrina
• 1524 in music -
• 1523 in music -
• 1522 in music - death of Jean Mouton (c. 1459 – October 30, 1522)
• 1521 in music - death of Josquin
• 1520 in music -

1510s

• 1519 in music -
• 1518 in music -
• 1517 in music -
• 1516 in music -
• 1515 in music -
• 1514 in music -
• 1513 in music -
• 1512 in music -
• 1511 in music -
• 1510 in music - Josquin des Prez composes the Missa de Beata Virgine

1500s

• 1509 in music -
• 1508 in music -
• 1507 in music -
• 1506 in music -
• 1505 in music -
• 1504 in music -
• 1503 in music -
• 1502 in music -
• 1501 in music - publication of Harmonice Musices Odhecaton by Ottaviano Petrucci, the first printed collection of polyphonic music
• 1500 in music -

Early history

15th Century

• Josquin des Prez composes the Domine, ne in fuore tuo
• 1490's in music – Josquin des Prez - Nymphes des bois; The Chigi codex is compiled.
• 1480's in music Johannes Ockeghem completes Requiem; Josquin de Prez composes the Missa L'homme armé super voces musicales
• 1450's in music - Antoine Busnois writes the O Crux Lignum

14th Century

• 1360s in music Guillaume de Machaut composes Messe de Nostre Dame, the first complete polyphonic ordinary of the mass.
• The Old Hall Manuscript is compiled.

13th Century

• The Worcester Fragments are compiled.

12th Century

• The Magnus Liber is compiled by Léonin

Ancient Music

• 1st millennium in music
• 1st millennium BC in music
• 2nd millennium BC in music

References

External links

• Music Timeline A Chronology Of Music From Prehistory To The Present Day.