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Michael William Balfe |
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Balfe was born in Pitt Street, now Balfe Street, Dublin, at a time when the ‘golden era’ of Anglo-Irish music was just over, but could still be felt. He grew up in Wexford, but was sent to Dublin for tuition after his talents had been discovered. His earliest teacher was the Irish composer William O’Rourke (or Rooke, 1794-1847). After the death of his father in 1823 he moved to England, where he began to sing in operas and play violin in various orchestras. Further tuition and musical engagements led him to Rome (1825), Milan, Paris and several Italian opera stages until 1833, when he returned to England. He became the most prominent and most successful composer of English-language operas in the 19th century, only to be rivalled by his fellow-countryman, Vincent Wallace (and later in the century by Gilbert and Sullivan). His first British success was The Siege of Rochelle (1835), followed by The Maid of Artois (1836), The Bohemian Girl (1843) and The Rose of Castile (1857). Many of his song compositions became successful too: By Killarney’s Lakes (1862) still having a folk song-like popularity in south-west Ireland. He also wrote two cantatas and some chamber music. (biography © Axel Klein, with permission from Greenwood Press) |
| Composer web site: http://www.britishandirishworld.com/ |
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