See also: 1852 in music, other events of 1853, 1854 in music and the list of 'years in music'.
Events
- January 19 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore premieres in Rome
- March 6 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata premieres in Venice
Popular music
- "My Old Kentucky Home" by Stephen Foster
- "Farewell My Lilly Dear" by Stephen Foster
- "P'tit quinquin" (in Picard) by Alexandre Desrousseaux
Births
- April 21 - Charles-Theodore Malherbe
- December 22 - [[Maria Teresa
Carreno]]