Editing 1840s (section)

=== Music ===
* 1840s – [[Franz Liszt]] performs a series of concerts throughout Europe, which generate international euphoria and fascination known as [[Lisztomania]].
* [[February 11]], [[1840]] – [[Gaetano Donizetti]]'s opera ''[[La fille du régiment]]'' premieres in [[Paris]].
* [[June 28]], [[1841]] – [[Ballet]] ''[[Giselle]]'' first presented by the [[Ballet du Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique]] at the [[Salle Le Peletier]] in [[Paris, France]].
* [[March 9]], [[1842]] – [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s third opera ''[[Nabucco]]'' premieres in [[Milan]]; its success establishes [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] as one of [[Italy]]'s foremost opera writers.
* [[February 11]], [[1843]] – [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s opera ''[[I Lombardi alla prima crociata]]'' premieres at [[La Scala]] in [[Milan]].
* [[November 3]], [[1844]] – [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[I due Foscari]]'' debuts at [[Largo di Torre Argentina|Teatro Argentina]], Rome.
* [[March 13]], [[1845]] – The ''[[Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)|Violin Concerto]]'' by [[Felix Mendelssohn]] premieres in [[Leipzig]], with [[Ferdinand David (musician)|Ferdinand David]] as soloist.
* [[July 7]], [[1845]] – [[Jules Perrot]] presents the [[ballet]] [[divertissement]] ''[[Pas de Quatre]]'' to an enthusiastic London audience.
* [[June 28]], [[1846]] – The [[Saxophone]] is [[patent]]ed by [[Adolphe Sax]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Hugh|last=Hart|title=June 28, 1846: Parisian Inventor Patents Saxophone|url=https://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/06/0628saxophone-patent|magazine=Wired|date=2010-06-28|access-date=2011-12-07}}</ref>
* [[March 14]], [[1847]] – [[Verdi]]'s opera ''[[Macbeth (Verdi)|Macbeth]]'' premieres at [[Teatro della Pergola]] in [[Florence]], Italy.
* [[1847]] – [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]] surprisingly ends his career as a concert [[pianist]] and from then on fully dedicates himself to [[Musical composition|composition]].
* [[1848]] – The Shaker song ''[[Simple Gifts]]'' is written by [[Joseph Brackett]] in [[Alfred, Maine]].
* [[1848]] – [[Richard Wagner]] begins writing the [[libretto]] that will become ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'' (''The Ring of the Nibelung'').