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.

Captain E. G. Austin's Quick Step

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
  • Fred Godfrey, English bandmaster and music arranger (d. 1882)
  • 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)