1808 in music

Events

• December 20 – The original Covent Garden Theatre in London is destroyed by a fire, along with most of the scenery, costumes and scripts.
• December 22 – Beethoven concert of 22 December 1808: Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and plays piano in a marathon benefit concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna consisting entirely of first public performances of works by him including the Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 6, Piano Concerto No. 4 and Choral Fantasy.
• Harvard University forms its own orchestra.
• Ignaz Schuppanzigh's Schuppanzigh Quartet enters the employment of Count Andrey Razumovsky.
• Ignaz Assmayer becomes organist of St Peter's Abbey, Salzburg.

  Popular Music

• "Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms", part of the Irish Melodies by poet Thomas Moore and composer John Andrew Stevenson

  Classical Music

• Ludwig van Beethoven
• *Symphony No. 5, Op. 67
• *Symphony No. 6, Op. 68
• *Cello Sonata No. 3, Op. 69
• *Piano Trios Op. 70
• *Fantasia in C minor, Op. 80
• *2 Marches for Military Band, WoO 18-19
• *"Andenken", WoO 136
• Bernhard Henrik Crusell – Clarinet Concerto no. 2
• Johann Nepomuk Hummel – Piano Sonata No.4, Op. 38
• Etienne Mehul – Symphony No.1 in G minor
• Ferdinand Ries
• *Piano Quartet, Op. 13
• *Cello Sonata, Op. 20
• *Cello Sonata, Op. 21
• *Quintet or Septet, Op. 25
• *Piano Sonata, Op. 26
• *Violin Sonata No. 19 in D minor, Op. 83
• Alessandro Rolla
• *Viola Concertino in E-flat major, BI 328
• *Divertimento for Viola and String Quartet, BI 330
• Louis Spohr
• *2 Duos for 2 Violins, Op. 9
• *String Quartet No.4, Op. 15 No.1
• *Potpourri No.4, Op. 24
• *Clarinet Concerto No.1, Op. 26
• *Violin Concerto No.6, Op. 28
• *Symphonie concertante No.1, Op. 48
• Carl Maria von Weber
• *7 Variations sur un thème original, Op. 9
• *Momento capriccioso, Op. 12
• *6 Lieder, Op. 15
• *Grand potpourri, Op. 20
• *Grande polonaise, Op. 21
• *Silvana, J.87

  Births

• February 14 – Michael Costa, Italian-born conductor and composer
• February 28 – Elias Parish Alvars, English-born arranger and harpist
• March 24 – Maria Malibran, French-born Spanish soprano
• April 10 – Auguste Franchomme, French cellist and composer
• May 15 – Michael William Balfe, Irish composer
• October 24 – Ernst Richter, German musical theorist
• December 26 – Albert Grisar, Belgian composer

  Deaths

• February 29 – Carlos Baguer, Spanish composer
• April 4 – Carlo Gozzi, Venetian lyricist and playwright
• May 14 – Robert Broderip, English organist and composer
• May 22 – Edmund Ayrton, English organist
• July 20 – François-Hippolyte Barthélémon, French violinist
• September 29 – Paul Wranitzky, Moravian composer
• date unknown – Gaétan Vestris, French ballet dancer