Editing 1961 in music (section)

==Deaths==
*January – [[Margaret Balfour]], mezzo-soprano
*[[January 13]] – [[Blanche Ring]], US singer and actress
*[[January 14]] – [[Henry Geehl]], pianist, 79
*[[February 4]] – [[Alphonse Picou]], jazz musician
*[[February 7]] – [[Noah Lewis (musician)|Noah Lewis]], jug band musician
*[[February 20]] – [[Percy Grainger]], pianist and composer
*[[March 3]] – [[Paul Wittgenstein]], pianist, 73
*[[March 6]] – [[George Formby, Jr.|George Formby]], English [[Music hall]] comedian, singer & songwriter and [[ukulele]] player extraordinaire
*[[March 8]] – Sir [[Thomas Beecham]], conductor
*[[March 9]] – [[Wilber Sweatman]], jazz musician and composer
*[[March 16]] – [[Václav Talich]], Czech conductor, violinist and teacher, 77
*[[March 24]] – [[Freddy Johnson]], jazz pianist and singer, 57 (cancer)
*[[April 2]] – [[Wallingford Riegger]], composer
*[[April 19]] – [[Manuel Quiroga (violinist)|Manuel Quiroga]], violinist, 69
*[[April 29]]
**[[Cisco Houston]], folk singer
**[[Miff Mole]], jazz trombonist and bandleader
*[[May 8]] – [[Victor Cornelius]], Danish composer, pianist and singer, 63
*[[May 29]] – [[Uuno Klami]], composer
*[[June 6]] – [[Art Gillham]], songwriter
*[[July 6]] – [[Scott LaFaro]], jazz bassist
*[[August 8]] – [[Mei Lanfang]], Beijing opera performer, 66
*[[August 14]] 
**[[Heddle Nash]], operatic tenor, 67<ref name="Heddle"/>
**[[Nadezhda Obukhova]], operatic mezzo-soprano, 75<ref name="Heddle">{{cite journal | title = Heddle Nash (in Obituary) | journal = The Musical Times | volume = 102 | issue =  1424 | date = October 1961 | pages = 645 | issn = 0027-4666 | jstor=951205}}</ref>
*[[August 15]]
**[[Stick McGhee]], guitarist
**[[Morton Harvey]], vaudeville entertainer
*[[August 24]] – [[Clarice Vance]], "the Southern singer"
*[[September 21]] – [[Maurice Delage]], pianist and composer, 81
*[[September 23]] – [[Elmer Diktonius]], composer and poet
*[[September 26]]
**[[Bulbul (singer)|Bulbul]], singer
**[[Ernest Kaʻai]], ukulele virtuoso
*[[September 27]] – [[Peter Dawson (bass-baritone)|Peter Dawson]], bass-baritone
*[[October 5]]
**[[Carolina White]], opera singer, 75
**[[Booker Little]], jazz musician, 23
*[[October 11]] – [[Chico Marx]], comedian and pianist, 74
*[[October 12]] – [[Marguerite Monnot]], songwriter, 58
*[[October 13]] – [[Maya Deren]], dancer and choreographer, 44
*[[October 20]] – [[Sylvia Rexach]], singer and composer, 39
*[[November 1]] – [[Joan McCracken]], dancer, 43
*[[November 22]] – [[Ninon Vallin]], operatic soprano, 75
*[[November 23]] – [[York Bowen]], pianist and composer, 77
*[[November 25]] – [[Adelina de Lara]], pianist and composer, 90
*[[November 26]] – [[Alexander Goldenweiser (composer)|Alexander Goldenweiser]], pianist and composer, 86
*[[December 18]] – [[Leo Reisman]], violinist and bandleader, 64
*[[December 20]] – [[Moss Hart]], musical theatre librettist, 57
*[[December 30]] – [[Boris Ord]], organist and choirmaster, 64