1889 in music

Events

* November 20 - Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 1" is premiered in Budapest
* Emile Berliner markets first commercial gramophone records
*Joseph Kekuku is credited with inventing the Hawaiian steel guitar

Published popular music

* "Ask A Policeman" w. E. W. Rogers m. A. E. Duran Deau
* "Down Went McGinty" w.m. Joseph Flynn
* "Four Little Curly Headed Coons" by James W. Wheeler
* "Little Annie Rooney (Is My Sweetheart)" w.m. Michael Nolan
* "Oh, Promise Me" w. Clement Scott m. Reginald de Koven
* "Playmates" w.m. Harry Dacre
* "Slide Kelly Slide" w.m. John W. Kelly
* "Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes" w. W. S. Gilbert m. Arthur Sullivan
* "The Thunderer" m. John Philip Sousa
* "The Washington Post" m. John Philip Sousa

Classical music

*Enrique Granados - "Danzas españolas"
*Augusta Holmès - "Ode triomphale"

Opera

*Francesco Cilea - "Gina"
*Robert Fuchs - "Die Königsbraut"
*Miguel Marqués - "El plato del día" (libretto by Andrés Ruesga, Manuel Lastra and Enrique Prieto, premiered in Madrid)

Musical theater

* "The Gondoliers" (Music: Sir Arthur Sullivan Book & Lyrics: W. S. Gilbert) London production opened at the Savoy Theatre on December 7 and ran for 554 performances
* "Love's Trickery" London production

Births

*February 7 - Claudia Muzio, operatic soprano (d. 1936)
*March 15 - Billy Jones, US singer (d. 1940)
*March 16 - Elsie Janis, musical comedy star and songwriter (d. 1956)
*April 8 - Sir Adrian Boult, conductor (d. 1983)
*April 11 - Nick LaRocca - jazz bandleader (d. 1961)
*May 15 - Graziella Pareto, operatic soprano (d. 1973)
*May 20 - Felix Arndt, US pianist & composer (d. 1918)
*May 25 - Gilardo Gilardi, pianist, conductor and composer (d. 1962)
*July 4 - Joe Young, US lyricist and singer (d. 1939)
*July 10 - Noble Sissle, US bandleader and singer (d. 1975)
*August 10 - Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, composer (d. 1960)
*September 10 - Vilém Petrželka, conductor and composer (d. 1967)
*September 26 - Frank Crumit, US singer (d. 1943)
*October 3 - Manuel Manetta - jazz musician & teacher (d. 1969)
*October 28 - Juliette Béliveau, actress and singer (d. 1975)
*December 11 - Ben Black, composer and impresario (d. 1950)
*"date unknown"
**Nellie Briercliffe, singer and actress (d. 1966)
**Michael Coleman, fiddler (d. 1945)

Deaths

*January 23 - Selina Dolaro, actress and singer (b. 1849) (stroke)
*January 31 - Joseph Gungl, composer and conductor (b. 1810)
*March 3 - Sydney Smith, English composer and pianist (b. 1839)
*March 13 - Felice Varesi, operatic baritone (b. 1813)
*April 9 - Jean-Baptiste Arban, cornet virtuoso (b. 1825)
*April 30 - Carl Rosa, opera impresario (b. 1842)
*May 30 - Silverio Franconetti, flamenco singer (b. 1831)
*July 7 - Giovanni Bottesini, double bass player and composer (b. 1821)
*October 3 - Karel Miry, Belgian composer (b. 1823)
*October 10 - Adolf von Henselt, pianist and composer (b. 1814)
*November 24 - Frederic Clay, composer (b. 1838) (stroke)
*November 25 - Alojzy Gonzaga Jazon Żółkowski, actor and singer (b. 1814)
*December 13 - Catherine Chislova, ballerina (b. 1846)
*December 31 - Giuseppe Apolloni, composer (b. 1822)
*"date unknown" - Gustaw Lewita, pianist (b. 1855)