Michael William Balfe

An Irishman by heart but perhaps one of his best operas "The Bohemian Girl" plays on his travels and successes. Balfe is considerd by far to be the hallmark figure of English opera composers in the 19th century. He travelled in France and Italy where he caught the attenion of Cherubini and Rossini (the latter's influence is apparent in his Italian operas). Balfe also developed a qualitative baritone voice. This ability may help to explain why his ballads were so well met by the public; he knew how to sing them and was thus able to write them as well. Balfe's output was enormous though he did not receive the acclaim of the critics. Generally, his juxtaposition of music with text suffers through irregular rhythms; Balfe usually composed the music before the ideas of the libretto. For Balfe's songs, the music came first. Operas composed by Balfe include "The Siege of Rochelle," "Falstaf," "Le puits d'amoure," "The Rose of Castille," and "The Maid of Artois." He was not limited to operatic compositions; however, this genre was his forte. ~ Keith Johnson