Michael William Balfe

Irish composer

Michael William Balfe (15 May 1808 – 20 October 1870) was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially The Bohemian Girl.

After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to compose. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he composed at least 29 operas, almost 250 songs, several cantatas and other works. He was also a noted conductor, directing Italian Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre for seven years, among other conducting posts.

Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.

Works

Enrico IV al passo nella Marna 1832
I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls 1843
The Bohemian Girl 1843
A Soldier's Life
Bliss forever past
Cello Sonata in A-flat major
Falstaff
Giovanna d'Arco
Is no succor near at hand?
L'étoile de Seville
Le Puits d'amour
Love smiles but to deceive
Pittore e Duca
Satanella
The Armourer of Nantes
The Bondman
The Devil's In It
The Maid of Artois
The Rose of Castille
The Yellow and Blue
The daughter of Saint Mark
The heart bowed down
The siege of Rochelle
Then you'll remember me
Un avvertimento ai gelosi
When the fair land of Poland

Box sets & recent recordings

Balfe: Satanella — Michael William Balfe, Sally Silver, Kang Wang, Catherine Carby, Quentin Hayes, John Powell Singers, Victorian Opera Orchestra, Richard Bonynge (2016) box set · 31 tracks Spotify
The Bohemian Girl (Piano solo) — Michael William Balfe, Zestian Christopoulos (2026) Spotify
Michael William Balfe - I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls (The Bohemian Girl) [Piano Cover] — Michael William Balfe, Waldteufel78 (2021) Spotify
I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls — Alfred Bunn, Michael William Balfe, EUNMI LEE (2021) Spotify

Box sets & recent releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.