1889 in music

Specific locations

• 1889 in Norwegian music

  Events

• January 4 – Anton Seidl conducts Das Rheingold at the Metropolitan Opera, commencing the first performance of the Ring Cycle in the United States.
• May 28 – The first ever pre-recorded wax cylinders of songs, instrumental music, and humorous monologues were introduced by Edison Records
• November 20 – Gustav Mahler premieres his Symphony No. 1 in Budapest at the Vigadó Concert Hall, at this time described as a "Symphonic-Poem in 2 Parts"; it is not favourably received in this form.
• Emile Berliner markets the 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 " 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

  Recorded popular music

• "22nd Regiment March" – Frank Goede
• "Ain't Going to Rain No More" – Will Lyle
• "Amusement Polka" – John Mitthauer
• "And the Phonograph is Listening" – Will Lyle
• "Anniversary March" – Max Franlin
• "Arbucklenian Polka" – David B. Dana & Edward Issler
• "The Beggar Student" – Duffy & Imgrund's Fifth Regiment Band
• "Colonel Wellington's March" – Voss' First Regiment Band
• "Comin' Thro' the Rye" – George Schweinfest & Edward Issler
• "Cujus Animam" – David B. Dana & Edward Issler
• "Dream After the Ball" – George Schweinfest & Edward Issler
• "Dream of Love" – William Tuson & Edward Issler
• "Down Went McGinty" – Issler's Orchestra
• "For Right & Liberty" – Issler's Orchestra
• "Hoboken Pioneers" – Issler's Orchestra
• "Honeymoon Waltz" – Frank Goede
• "Hornpipe Polka" – United States Marine Band
• "Kentucky Jubilee" – Issler's Orchestra
• "Jingle Bells" – Will Lyle
• "Jubilee March" – Duffy & Imgrund's Fifth Regiment Band
• "The Men of Wall Street" – George Schweinfest
• "The Minstrel Boy" – Theodore Hoch
• "The Night Alarm" – Duffy & Imgrund's Fifth Regiment Band
• "The Pattison Waltz" – Effie Stewart
• "Pearl of Pekin" – Henry Giese
• "The Phonograph Serenade" – Duffy & Imgrund's Fifth Regiment Band
• "Rattle on a Banjo" – Will Lyle
• "Right & Liberty March" – George Schweinfest
• "Section From "The Mikado" – Issler's Orchestra
• "Song of the Roses" – Duffy & Imgrund's Fifth Regiment Band
• "Semper Fidelis" – Issler's Orchestra
• "The Warbler" – Frank Goede
• "Washington Centennial Parade" – Duffy & Imgrund's Fifth Regiment Band
• "The Wren Polka" – George Schweinfest & & Edward Issler

  Classical music

• Edward Elgar – "Queen Mary's Song"
• Enrique Granados – Danzas españolas
• Augusta Holmès – Ode triomphale
• Hubert Parry
• *Ode on Saint Cecilia's Day
• *Symphony No. 3, in C major, "The English"
• *Symphony No. 4, in E minor
• Guy Ropartz
• *Cinq pièces brèves, for orchestra
• *Carnaval, for orchestra
• Johan Wagenaar – De Schipbreuk
• Valentin Zubiaurre – Ecos de Oiz

  [Opera]

• Francesco Cilea – Gina
• Robert Fuchs – Die Königsbraut
• Miguel Marqués – El plato del día
• Louisa Melvin Delos Mars – Leoni, the Gypsy Queen
• Giacomo Puccini – Edgar

  [Musical theater]

• The Gondoliers London production opened at the Savoy Theatre on December 7 and ran for 554 performances
• Love's Trickery London production

  Births

• January 31 – Michael Coleman, fiddler
• February 7 – Claudia Muzio, operatic soprano
• March 8 – Ina Boyle, Irish composer
• March 15 – Billy Jones, singer
• March 16 – Elsie Janis, musical comedy star and songwriter
• April 3 – Grigoraș Dinicu, Romanian composer and violinist
• April 8 – Adrian Boult, conductor
• April 11 – Nick LaRocca – jazz-band leader
• April 30 – Rudolph Simonsen – composer
• May 15 – Graziella Pareto, operatic soprano
• May 16 – Alfred Kalmus, music publisher
• May 20 – Felix Arndt, pianist & composer
• May 25 – Gilardo Gilardi, pianist, conductor and composer
• May 29 – Aksel Agerby, Danish composer, organist, and music administrator
• July 4 – Joe Young, US lyricist and singer
• July 10 – Noble Sissle, bandleader and singer
• August 10 – Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, composer
• September 10 – Vilém Petrželka, conductor and composer
• September 26 – Frank Crumit, singer
• October 3 – Manuel Manetta, jazz musician & teacher
• October 28 – Juliette Béliveau, actress and singer
• December 11 – Ben Black, composer and impresario
• December 25 – Nathaniel Shilkret, composer and musician
• December 28 – Vaslav Nijinsky, Ballet dancer
• date unknown – Nellie Briercliffe, singer and actress

  Deaths

• January 23 – Selina Dolaro, actress and singer
• January 31 – Joseph Gungl, composer and conductor
• March 3 – Sydney Smith, English composer and pianist
• March 13 – Felice Varesi, operatic baritone
• April 6 – Frederick Ouseley, organist, composer and musicologist
• April 9 – Jean-Baptiste Arban, cornet virtuoso
• April 30 – Carl Rosa, opera impresario
• May 30 – Silverio Franconetti, flamenco singer
• July 7 – Giovanni Bottesini, double bass player and composer
• July 14 – Elma Ström, Swedish opera singer
• October 3 – Karel Miry, Belgian composer
• October 10 – Adolf von Henselt, pianist and composer
• November 24 – Frederic Clay, composer
• November 25 – Alojzy Gonzaga Jazon Żółkowski, actor and singer
• December 13 – Catherine Chislova, ballerina
• December 31 – Giuseppe Apolloni, composer
• date unknown
• *Jovo Ivanišević, composer
• *Gustaw Lewita, pianist
• *Jeanne-Catherine Pauwels, Belgian pianist
• *Kurmangazy Sagyrbaev, Kazakh folk musician and composer