1837 in music

This article is about music-related events in 1837.

Events

 * March 31 – Franz Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg play a musical 'duel' at a charity event for refugees of the Italian war of independence at the home of Countess Belgiojoso.
 * June 11 – Prussian Copyright Act protecting for the first time performances of concert music
 * Pauline Viardot (as Pauline García) makes her concert debut at the age of sixteen.



Publications

 * François-Joseph Fétis – Traité du chant en choeur (Paris)

Published popular music

 * "Hark, Brothers, Hark", words and music by John Hill Hewitt
 * "Woodman, Spare That Tree!", words by George Pope Morris, music by Henry Russell

Classical music

 * Charles-Valentin Alkan – 3 Morceaux dans le genre pathétique, Op. 15
 * Ludwig Berger – 15 Etudes, Op.33
 * Charles-Auguste de Bériot – Violin Concerto No. 1, Op.16
 * Hector Berlioz – Grande Messe des Morts
 * Frédéric Chopin
 * Hexaméron: Variation No. 6
 * Nocturne in C minor, B. 108
 * Largo in E-flat major, B. 109
 * Impromptu No. 1, Op. 29
 * Scherzo No. 2, Op. 31
 * Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35, III
 * Fanny Ellsler – 3 Airs de Ballet
 * Adolf von Henselt
 * Romance, Op. 10
 * Variations de concert sur le motif de l'opéra 'L'elisir d'amore', Op. 1
 * Franz Liszt
 * Grandes études, S. 137
 * Album d'un voyageur, S. 156
 * Hexaméron, S. 392
 * Soirées musicales de Rossini, S. 424
 * 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S. 558
 * Felix Mendelssohn
 * 6 Gesänge, Op.34
 * Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40
 * Psalm 42 for choir and orchestra, Op. 42
 * 6 Lieder, Op. 50
 * String Quartet No. 4 in E minor
 * Carl Gottlieb Reissiger
 * 3 String Quartets, Op.111
 * 4 Gesänge, Op.117
 * Robert Schumann
 * Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6
 * Études symphoniques, Op. 13
 * Johann Strauss Sr. – Cachucha-Galopp, Op.97
 * Sigismond Thalberg
 * 12 Etudes, Op.26
 * Grand Fantasia on 'God save the Queen' and 'Rule Britannia', Op.27

Opera

 * Daniel Auber – The Black Domino (with libretto by Eugène Scribe)
 * Gaetano Donizetti – Roberto Devereux
 * Mikhail Glinka – Ruslan and Lyudmila (composition began, premiered in 1842)
 * Albert Lortzing – Zar und Zimmermann
 * Gaspare Spontini – Agnes von Hohenstaufen

Births

 * January 2 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist, conductor and composer (d. 1910)
 * January 12 – Adolf Jensen, German pianist, composer and music teacher (d. 1879)
 * January 27 – Carlotta Ferrari, composer (died 1907)
 * February 23 – Rosalía de Castro, lyricist (died 1885)
 * March 12 – Alexandre Guilmant, organist (died 1911)
 * March 15 – Célestine Galli-Marié, operatic mezzo-soprano, the original Carmen (d. 1905)
 * April 13 – Julius Weissenborn, German bassoonist, music teacher and composer (d. 1888)
 * April 18 – Armand Silvestre, librettist (died 1901)
 * May 23 – Józef Wieniawski, pianist (died 1912)
 * June 1 – Ferdinand Quentin Dulcken, English (later American) pianist and composer (d. 1901)
 * June 25 – Josef Werner, composer (died 1922)
 * July 6 – Władysław Żeleński, composer (died 1921)
 * July 30 – Signe Hebbe, operatic soprano (d. 1925)
 * August 24
 * Théodore Dubois, organist and composer (d. 1924)
 * Adolf Wilbrandt, writer and lyricist (died 1911)
 * September 19 – Adolf Gustaw Sonnenfeld, composer (died 1914)
 * December 7 – Édouard Mangin, musician (died 1907)
 * December 9 – Emile Waldteufel, pianist and composer (d. 1915)
 * December 24 – Cosima Wagner, daughter of Franz Liszt and wife of Richard Wagner (d. 1930)
 * December 30 – Ida Marie Lipsius, music writer (d. 1927)
 * date unknown
 * Kate Santley, actress and singer (d. 1923)
 * La Serneta, flamenco singer (d. 1910)

Deaths

 * January 23 – John Field, pianist and composer (b. 1782)
 * February 10 – Aleksandr Pushkin, Russian poet and librettist (born 1799)
 * April 9 – Polly Cuninghame, ballet dancer (b. c. 1785)
 * May 5
 * Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, composer (b. 1752)
 * Salvatore Fighera, composer (b. 1771)
 * June 16 – Valentino Fioravanti, opera buffa composer (b. 1764)
 * July 28 – Joseph Schubert, violinist and composer (b. 1754)
 * August 6 – Johann Nepomuk Schelble, composer (b. 1789)
 * October 6 – Jean François Lesueur, composer (b. 1760/1763)
 * October 11 – Samuel Wesley, organist and composer, son of hymn-writer Charles Wesley
 * October 17 – Johann Nepomuk Hummel, composer (b. 1778)
 * October 28 – Jean-Blaise Martin, opera singer (b. 1768)
 * date unknown
 * Franz Joseph Antony, organist and choral composer (b. 1790)
 * Jean Théodore Latour, composer for piano (b. 1766)
 * Christina Rahm, opera singer (b. c. 1760)