When I picked up this book I felt that
I probably already knew a lot about
this fascinating composer; all courtesy
of a previous biography by William Tyldesley
which came out in 2003. How wrong I
was.
Whereas Tyldesley had
more of a focus on the music, here Mr
Walsh has slanted his biography to the
life and his interaction with the musical
milieu in which Balfe (1808-1870) moved.
Three earlier biographies written in
the 19th Century have much
of their content derived from hearsay
and personal anecdotes passed around.
Rather than take their information as
a starting point, not only has the writer
started his research from first principles,
but in some areas has proved their timing
of events and those met during a specific
period completely wrong.
What forcefully comes
across is that in Balfe we have an Irishman
of high intellect, likeable manner,
considerable drive and erudite enthusiasm
for composing both opera and song. He
was an industrious individual who took
advantage of every opportunity that
came his way: he could smooth over fickle
theatrical temperament and win friends
in obscure places. He travelled Europe
extensively, married a singer from Germany
(in Italy) and knew the managers of
the important London, Italian and Parisian
theatres well: some of these managers
became close friends. He could also
count as personal friends the great
divas of the day – Malibran, Grisi,
Lind, Pasta - and would help the theatre
managers engage them. His legacy included
28 operas, some of which, like The
Bohemian Girl were translated into
four languages. They played at the principal
European opera houses, and in some cases
had longer runs on the Continent than
was the case in London. It seems strange
that Balfe, who was awarded the French
Légion d’Honneur and given a
Spanish decoration by King Carlos III,
was deliberately overlooked. The British
establishment denied him any award of
honour for his massive input to the
development of British culture. This
is odd, especially since Queen Victoria
would attend and meet Balfe at some
of his operatic premières. I
was hoping that Walsh’s exacting research
might have found evidence to support
this snub and he does provide some interesting
and valuable clues that involve a Whitehall
statesman and the Roman Catholic Church.
From these the reader can draw his own
conclusions.
Balfe died in 1870
and the Carl Rosa Opera Company was
not formed until 1873, so I can understand
why the company’s link with the Balfe
operas was not highlighted in the book.
However their touring of such works
as Siege of Rochelle, Maid of Artois,
The Bohemian Girl, Rose of Castille,
Satanella, The Puritan’s Daughter, and
Il Talismano did much to keep the
Balfean tradition alive for a number
of decades after the composer’s death.
It crossed my mind that although Balfe
appeared at the Exeter Hall and Alexandra
Palace he had no association with George
Grove and Crystal Palace where new composers
were often feted.
I notice that an extraordinary
amount of trouble has been taken trailing
Balfe’s continental destinations and
introducing much new evidence from letters
and other memorabilia collected over
recent decades by the author. The chapters
of information on Balfe’s early days
in Italy are very informative. I like
Mr Walsh’s style of writing where he
lets the reader know in advance that
a situation will lead to unforetold
consequences. It is understandable that
the writer be allowed a few American
colloquialisms - having lived in the
States for a number of decades - but
rushed editorial proofing seems to have
missed a number of typographical errors.
A merit of the book is the selection
of detailed appendices, which not only
catalogue all songs and operas, their
premieres, principal singers and publishers,
but also the whereabouts and shelf mark
of the autographs to assist future research.
Short paragraphs give background to
the principal people he met. Other appendices
include a discography (as at 2008),
useful background on Balfe’s key associates,
a family tree and a timeframe of those
composers living during the period.
2008 is the bi-centenary
of the composer’s birth. It has already
been marked by at least one production
of The Bohemian Girl. It is hoped
that the BBC will recognise the contribution
to the Arts that Balfe made via the
Theatre Royal, Her Majesty’s Theatre
and Covent Garden as either Composer
of the Week or at the Albert Hall Proms.
Raymond J Walker
Pic: Michael William Balfe
(Courtesy of the Bonynge collection)
for details
