CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 MUSIC 
 
ML 410.B18B27""'"''"' """'^ 
 ^^''miniiMiiliiiS'il.'i'i.iyifHS'.PY W™- Alexander 
 
 3 1924 021 747 781 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924021747781 
 
B A L F E 
 
 W'lH life Mh moxl. 
 
 WM. ALEXANDER BARRETT. 
 
 W/Tir POSTR.ilT OF TIALFE AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Let the breath of renown ever freshen and nourish 
 The laurel which o'er her dead favourite bends ; 
 
 O'er me wave the willow, and long may it flourish, 
 Bedew'd with the tears of wife, children, and friends. 
 
 The Hon. R. W. Spencer. 
 
 ILontion : 
 
 REMINGTON AND CO. 
 New Bond Street, W. 
 
 1882. 
 
 [All Rights Reserved.^ 
 
TO BALFE S BEST FRIEND, 
 
 THE BRITISH PUBLIC, 
 
 THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE DEDICATED BY 
 
 THE AUTHOK. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Title. 
 Dedication. 
 
 PEErACE. 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. 1800 
 
 IT. 1808-1823 ... 
 
 III. 1823-1825 ... 
 
 IV. 1825-1826 ... 
 
 VIII. 1833-1835 ... 
 IX. 1836-1838 ... 
 X. 1838-1841 ... 
 
 XI. 1841 
 
 XII. 1841-1843 ... 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1 
 
 13 
 
 27 
 42 
 
 V. 1826-1827 54 
 
 VI. 1827-1829 
 
 65 
 
 VII. 1830-1832 7g 
 
 94 
 106 
 122 
 130 
 138 
 
 1G2 
 179 
 198 
 
 XIII. 1843 148 
 
 XIV. 1844-1846 
 
 XV. 1846-1848 
 
 XVr. 1848-1852 
 
 XVII. 1852-1858 215 
 
 XVIII. 1858-1865 233 
 
 XIX. 1865-1870 253 
 
 XX. 1870-1876 271 
 
 XXI. 1876-1882 284 
 
 XXII 296 
 
 Index 309 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Balfe ... ... ... ... ... Frontispiece 
 
 Maliuuan Page 111 
 
 Giiisi „ 123 
 
 NiLSSON „ 260 
 
 Portion of Memokial Window, St. Patkick's 
 
 Cathedual, Dublin , 286 
 
 Tablet in WnsiMiNSTEii, Aubkv ... „ 293 
 
B A L F E 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 1800. 
 
 The condition of musical art, like the position of 
 musical professors in this country at the beginning 
 of the present centurj was in no way hopeful. 
 The best native musicians were compelled to 
 struggle and to labour in the face of adversity and 
 almost of contumely. " Fiddler's pay " was a pro- 
 verb the application of which in those days was more 
 personal, forcible, and pertinent than it is now. 
 " Only a fiddler," was a contemptuous expression 
 in common use among those who emulated the 
 hollow refinement of Lord Chesterfield. Genius 
 was existent, but it had no great market value. The 
 ablest musicians were expected to perform tasks 
 which the meanest practitioner in the art ought 
 scarcely to have been called upon to do. The 
 brightest and most talented musician of his day 
 
 B 
 
2 BALFE. 
 
 Henry Rowley Bishop, was chiefly employed to 
 furnish music to aid the effect of certain dramatic 
 situations in the theatre. He wrote music for 
 Melodramas but not a single Opera. His music 
 was to he subordinate to the acting. Such, how- 
 ever, was the impression his beautiful melodies 
 and his fanciful orchestration made upon the 
 public mind, that the original condition of things 
 became reversed, and several dramas for which he 
 had been engaged to furnish " a few tunes " be- 
 came attractive less for the acting or for the 
 spectacle they may have afforded, than for his 
 lausic, much of which lives to the present time, 
 though the dramas themselves have completely 
 perished. The success he achieved did not rouse 
 men's minds to the importance of the musical art, 
 nor did it suggest the development of native talent 
 in this direction. The musician had no status in. 
 the world, no privileges of society. However great 
 his abilities and how often soever their exercise 
 was sought for, his personal character was 
 estimated according to the accepted views con- 
 cerning his class, and tasks derogatory to the 
 dignity of art and distressing to the artist were 
 
BALFE. 6 
 
 often imposed upon him. When he was suffered 
 to appear in the saloons of the great and mighty, 
 •a silken rope was drawa across a portion of the 
 room in which he was to perform, to mark the 
 boundary of his situation, and the estimation in 
 which he was held personally, and in the intervals 
 of the exercise of his refining art, he was " thrust 
 aside to herd with flunkies, who copying their 
 betters, added to the humiliations already heaped 
 -upon him, by a supercilious contempt." 
 
 In public entertainments native masic and 
 musicians were treated with a like disregard. On 
 the stage it was considered necessary to have 
 music, more out of respect for traditional use than 
 for any. high value set upon its assistance. When 
 a composer was required to furnish music to aug- 
 ment certain situations, the number of seconds he 
 was to fill up was duly prescribed, and if the 
 composer was able to overcome the scruples of his 
 manager, and to gain indulgence for a song or 
 other vocal piece which should occupy a little 
 longer than the time originally set out, there was 
 the chilling and terrible ordeal of public judgment 
 .to suffer. Mr. Planche in his EecoUections speak- 
 
4 BALFB. 
 
 ing of these things so late as the year 1823, says : 
 " Ballads, duets, choruses, and glees, provided that 
 they occupied no more than the fewest number of 
 minutes possible, were all that the play-going 
 public of the day would endure. A dramatic 
 situation in music was ' Caviare to the Greneral,' 
 and inevitably received with cries of 'Cut it short ! ' 
 from the gallery, and obstinate coughing and other 
 significant signs of impatience from the pit." 
 
 It is not possible to believe that the public were 
 good judges in the matter, and exhibited im- 
 patience not at the music as such, but because they 
 had not been taught to believe in the importance 
 of music as intensifying dramatic art. There were 
 no English schools of music, no opportunities for 
 acquiring improvement in the exercise or increasing 
 the estimation of art available for the people. The 
 nation had for a long period been engaged in 
 undertakings which do not tend to the promotion 
 of the peaceful arts. It had retained through all, 
 its old love for mnsic, but limited its expression to 
 utterances of a robust character. The refinements 
 of music were chiefly appreciated and cultivated 
 by those who by circumstances were kept protected 
 
BALFE. 
 
 from the influences wMeli swayed the less for- 
 tunate. The thoughts and actions of the people 
 were moulded after a pattern set by passing 
 events. 
 
 Poetry in the truest sense of the word was best 
 understood when it was presented in a form suited 
 to the demands of the time, and in a language that 
 permitted of no ambiguity or misunderstanding. 
 What was called " sentiment " supplied the place 
 of deep reflective expression. An exaggerated idea 
 of the so-called manly qualities checked, if it 
 ■did not actually forbid the indulgence in the weak- 
 ness of being moved by tenderness. The heart 
 might be touched, but the tongue must not admit 
 the influence. 
 
 On the stage where so many causes of excite- 
 ment were sought for and encouraged, the addi- 
 tional claims of music, its power of stirring up the 
 secret feelings of the soul and influencing men 
 they knew not why, were freely acknowledged, but 
 not wholly admitted. 
 
 The statement made by Mr. Planch6 and re- 
 ferred to above certainly tells the facts, but makes 
 no attempt to account for them. The people were 
 
6 BALFE. 
 
 ashamed to admit the sway of music at such times 
 when they expected to be excited by other 
 emotions. They did not dislike sweet sounds, be- 
 cause there are proofs of the enthusiasm with 
 which many of the ballads and songs of the time 
 were welcomed when they had the ring in them 
 which was admitted to be true. One of these 
 proofs may be found in the existence of the 
 songs themselves in the present day. On the 
 other hand, the advantage of a good introduc- 
 tion would not force favour. Numbers of ditties 
 which are known to have been frequently sung, 
 by the references to them in the newspapers, 
 and by their constant appearance in collections 
 of words of songs sung at Vauxhall and else- 
 where, have perished. They ministered too 
 slavishly to the estimate formed of existing 
 taste, and as taste is ever changing, they became 
 old-fashioned long before the ideas to which 
 they conformed had passed out of the public mind. 
 Things destined to live must be contrived to 
 be in seeming conformity to passing fancy, and 
 yet calculated to elevate it. This is the secret 
 of the effect of all works of genius, and this. 
 
BALFC. 7 
 
 was particularly the cause of the cumulating 
 popularity of the music of Michael William Balfey 
 the subject of the present work. 
 
 To pursue the course of this prologue, and to 
 show the condition of the musical inheritance 
 Balfe was destined to augment and to improve, 
 it is necessary to say a few words more upon the 
 subject of music at the beginning of the present 
 century in this kingdom. 
 
 The people had not wholly cleared their minds of 
 prejudice against the foreigner, and it was only 
 the enlightened few who knew the works of the- 
 great geniuses living and working abroad. Handel, 
 for all that he had lived the greater part of his 
 life in England, and had written and produced all 
 his best works in this country, was little known to 
 the masses. Haydn was alive, but " old and 
 weak," Mozart had only been laid in his unknown 
 pauper's grave some dozen years, but to the people- 
 of England all these great men were for the most- 
 part only names, if so much. 
 
 The best of the English musicians then living 
 contented themselves with the simplest efforts.. 
 Horsley, Callcott, Webbe, Battishill, and others- 
 
8 BALFE. 
 
 confined their genius to the production of songs 
 and glees. In this last-mentioned department, 
 however, they left to posterity master works of a 
 quality which have heen imitated, but never sur- 
 passed, by their successors. 
 
 If it be true, as is often stated, that Ecclesiastical 
 music is the inheritance of the preceding genera- 
 tion, the Cathedrals, Churches, and other " choirs 
 and places where they sang," ought to have been, 
 rich. But like most legatees they were discon- 
 tented with the old-fashioned forms of the things 
 bequeathed to them, and cast them aside as lumber 
 in favour of things newer and suited to the ephe- 
 meral character of modern taste. 
 
 English composers did not care to devote their 
 time to the filling in of a gap caused by a long 
 period of careless inattention and neglect, to the 
 enrichment of an institution which exhibited no 
 interest in, and ofEei'ed no encouragement for, 
 their productions. The gap was, however, 
 lessened by the labours of those who, if they 
 could not make, could meddle with. Adaptations 
 from all sorts of foreign writers, from alL sorts of 
 works, secular or sacred originally,' were fitted to 
 
BALFE. y 
 
 words from tlie Bible or tlie Prayer Book, or even 
 from the edifying inspirations of Tate and Brady, 
 and were higUy appreciated by the authorities. 
 The apathy of the clei'ical functionaries was for 
 the most part compensated by the interest of their 
 women-folk, to whose care church music was 
 relegated. Church musicians in those days 
 attached little importance to their offices. In a 
 worthy following of the example shown by their 
 rulers, the Singing-men held several appointments, 
 and compliant Deans and Chapters arranged the 
 hours of their services in their Churches to accom- 
 modate the members of their Choirs. Well-known 
 as they were as Cathedral singers, they were better 
 known as tavern vocalists, ever ready to assist the 
 cause of good-fellowship by the excellence of their 
 efforts. Music and convivialit.y went frequently 
 hand in hand. The musicians suffered from the 
 conviviality, and the conviviality damaged the 
 character of music. 
 
 This one degrading influence of the age was 
 felt by musicians as by other members of society. 
 When several of the professors of music united 
 io keep alive some of the best traditions of their 
 
10 BALFE. 
 
 art, and formed clubs or associations for the prac- 
 tice of Madrigals, Glees, Catches, and even Songs, 
 the dinner and the allowance of wine was the first 
 consideration of the evening's entertainment. 
 More than one of these associations still exist,, 
 but the opportunities for indulgence in the neces- 
 sary luxuries of this sort of life are viewed now 
 as of less importance than the more refined and 
 refining pleasures of music. 
 
 The musicians of the past were wise in the fore- 
 sight in these matters ; they did not, could not, 
 disregard the customs of the time, but their con- 
 fidence in the elevating charm of their art was not 
 ill-founded, as the present generation recognises 
 with the pleasure which comes of possession. For 
 all this, the condition of music was not hopeful.- 
 It was to a certain extent a monopoly. Its best 
 efforts were reserved for the upper ranks of society, 
 and exercised under restrictions which were irk- 
 some to the majority, and distinctly with a view 
 to the preservation of its charms for the delecta- 
 tion of the favoured few. 
 
 When musicians themselves formed a society for- 
 the cultivation of their own musical knowledge- 
 
BALFE. 11 
 
 without tlie customary banquet, a society wMch 
 they happily called the "Philharmonic," they 
 followed the course which was nearest to their own 
 experience, and made such ^conditions of member- 
 ship as would have been instituted had things been 
 reversed, and the amateurs had invited the mu- 
 sicians to join their ranks. 
 
 The general public, always known to be music- 
 loving, were not considered in the arrangements. 
 'No one thought of educating the people by giving' 
 them the means of educating themselves. Even 
 for those who intended to adopt music as a profes- 
 sion there was no institution in which they could 
 be systematically taught. 
 
 Musicians lived a sort of moral hand-to-mouth 
 existence, and picked up encouragement and re- 
 cognition in the same way as they had for the most 
 part picked up their education. 
 
 It was a dark hour for native art, and although 
 a few stars shone faintly in the musical firma- 
 ment, their light only served to show the intensity 
 of the surrounding blackness. 
 
 It was the dark hour before the dawn. Music 
 was soon to be recognised ; its artists were to be- 
 
12 BALFE. 
 
 considered as wortliy to be admitted into the 
 highest social ranks. Eew knew this, however^ 
 though many hoped for it. None imagined that 
 "the star which was to be the herald of the dawn 
 was to be the son of a poor fiddler in the city of 
 Dublin. 
 
CHAPTEE II. 
 
 1808—1823. 
 
 Genius is said to have no ancestors. The posses- 
 sor of genitis not infrequently inherits some por- 
 tion of his peculiar gifts. In his predecessors- 
 these never arose beyond the digaity of talent ; 
 in himself they become intensified and developed 
 into genius. 
 
 Michael William Balfe came of a family asso- 
 ciated with the stage and with music as a pro- 
 fession through a long course of years. His 
 grandfather was a member of the orchestra at 
 Crow Street Theatre in Dublin, and there is a 
 tradition — diflftcult now to verify — that his great- 
 grandfather was a pupil of the famous Matthew 
 Dubourg, and one of the membars of the noble 
 band who played in the two first performances 
 of "The Messiah" in Dublin in 1742. Balfe's 
 father — bom in 1783 — was an excellent theoretical 
 musician, and a very good violin-player. He mar- 
 ried Kate Eyan, a lady remarkable for the beauty 
 
14 BALFB. 
 
 -and grace of lier person, and the austerity of her 
 religions observances. Michael William, their 
 third child and only son, was born on the 15th 
 May, 1808, while the family occupied a respect- 
 .able house in a quiet thoroughfare, No. 10, Pitt 
 Street, Dublin, part of a row of houses just newly 
 biiilt, and called after the name of the " heaven- 
 born minister" then recently deceased. 
 
 Balf e's father was a Protestant, and his mother 
 was a Catholic. In accordance with the custom 
 observed with regard to " mixed marriages," as 
 such unions were called, the male children were 
 brought up in the religion of their father and the 
 females in the faith of their mother. Michael Wil- 
 liam was baptized in the parish church of St. Ann, 
 in Dawson Street, Dublin, and was educated in the 
 belief taught by the Church into which he had 
 been admitted. His sisters learned the creeds of 
 the Church of Eome, and ib is a somewhat singular 
 fact that they, like all the women of the Balfe 
 family, married Protestants. The males selected 
 Catholics as their partners in life. 
 
 Not only was the moral training of the bright 
 .and happy child superintended by his father, but 
 
BALFE. 15 
 
 "wlien it was discovered that there were unmistak- 
 able signs of a predilection for music in the in- 
 fant, he also imparted to him early lessons in the 
 a,rt in which he was destined to become famous 
 throughout the world, and bj the exercise of which 
 he was to make his own name honourable, and to 
 ■elevate the profession to which he belonged. 
 
 His father taught him the violin and the piano- 
 forte, and the quickness with which he seized an 
 idea — one of his most strongly marked charac- 
 teristics as a man — was exhibited in his very in- 
 fancy. So soon as he had mastered the use of the 
 bow, and his pliant fingers could stop the strings 
 of the tiny fiddle upon which he practised, he 
 began to imitate the playing of the more promi- 
 nent of the street performers, whose execution 
 afforded him delighb and his friends amusement. 
 
 About the year 1814 Logier gave some lectures 
 in Dublin explanatory of his system of teaching 
 music, and took some children who had never be- 
 -fore known anything of music and demonstrated 
 the value of his method upon them. He proved 
 how readily the art could be acquired when 
 taught properly, and many of the teachers of 
 
16 BATJE. 
 
 music in Dublin began to work upon bis plans. 
 Jt is not known wbetber young Balfe was one of 
 tbe " clever cbildren " selected for the experiment, 
 but it is certain that he was working hard at the 
 rudiments of pianoforte-playing at the time. 
 
 There is a story told of him by some of his surviv- 
 ing relatives which sets the character of the young 
 genius forcibly bafore the mind. He had recently 
 heard an orchestral band perform Haydn's "Sur- 
 prise Symphony," and his lively imagination exag- 
 gerated the crash which Haydn introduced upon 
 the half-close of the first movement to make, as it 
 is said, "the ladies jamp." A simple arrange- 
 ment of the theme was one of the pianoforte 
 lessons he had to practise. His mother and sis- 
 ters were engaged elsewhere in the house, wheu 
 suddenly they heard a fearful crash, and as the 
 mother thought the screams of her child. In ter- 
 rified haste they rushed into the room in which he 
 had been at work, expecting to find the place in 
 ruins and the boy a corpse. The mother's fright 
 yielded to surprise, her surprise to anger, as she 
 saw the child dancing and crowing with delight. 
 In order to make the " grand crash " at the proper 
 
BALPE. 17 
 
 point of the music he had piled the fender and 
 fire-irons upon a chair, and had fastened a cord to 
 them all in such a manner as to make them fall 
 with a clatter^ and so realize Haydn's design most 
 completely. 
 
 It may have been in consequence of this or 
 other like events that the elder Balfe recognised 
 the necessity of confiding the musical education of 
 his boy to other hands. His first engaged master 
 was William O'Rourke, or, as he was afterwards 
 called, Rooke, a clever musician, who did all that 
 he could to develop the unquestionable musical 
 talent of the boy. It is certain that this was a 
 wise step, for the father, never very strong in 
 health, could not but feel that he might be called 
 away at any time, and his gifted child's talents never 
 be properly cultivated. He had been compelled 
 to remove to Wexford for the benefit of his health, 
 but he brought the boy back to Dublin and placed 
 him as a pupil with O'Eourke, under whose care he 
 made rapid progress. 
 
 He had received a great amount of encourage- 
 m.ent from the leader of a regimental band 
 whose name was Meadows. This worthy man 
 
 
 
18 BALFE. 
 
 had noted the earnest attention with which the 
 boy watched the performance of his band and 
 followed it about, and he took the trouble to ex- 
 plain to him the construction and compass of the 
 several instruments employed. In gratitude for 
 his instructor, and as proof that it was not alto- 
 gether thrown away, young Balfe composed a 
 Pdlacca which he scored for the band. It was 
 performed exactly as it was written, and. so excel- 
 lent] was it in melody and harmony, and so accu- 
 rately arranged, that the men who played it could 
 with difficulty be brought to believe that it was 
 the unassisted work of a child not yet seven years 
 old. The score of this Polacca exists to this day. 
 O'Rourke brought the boy on rapidly in his work. 
 In less than a year — in May, 1816 — he made his 
 first public appearance at the Eoyal Exchange as 
 a solo-violinist, playing a concerto by Mayseder. 
 
 On the 20th June, 1817, young Balfe played 
 with Mr. James Barton a " duo con certante" upon 
 the occasion of Barton's benefit, and although 
 there was no account of the performance in the 
 papers on the following day, there was an adver- 
 tisement inserted in " Saunders' News-letter " of 
 
BALFB. 19 
 
 52nd June, 1817, by H. Willman (bugle player), 
 of a concert he proposed to give, which contains 
 these words — " after which (by most particular 
 desire, and positively for that night only) that won- 
 derful child Master Balfi, only seven years old, 
 pupil of Mr. William O'Rourke, will perform a 
 concerto on the violin in which he will introduce 
 the popular air of the Minstrel Boy, and a Eondo 
 composed expressly for this occasion by Mr. 
 O'Eourke." 
 
 The age was not quite correctly given, but it 
 may have been considered more attractive to the 
 public. The skill of the boy would be considered 
 io be more remarkable if he were stated to be 
 younger than he actually was. 
 
 The delight with which the genius of the child 
 was welcomed by an impressionable people may be 
 well imagined. He was loaded with presents. 
 Some of these were suited to his age, and others 
 were offered which testified more conclusively to 
 the goodwill rather than to the good taste of the 
 donors. 
 
 The gift from Sir William Crampton, the 
 father of his future son-in-law, of a chaise and a 
 
20 BALFE. 
 
 pair of live goats, trained to draw and to be obe- 
 dient to the rein, was one in whicb the child took 
 great pride in. He drove it in triumph through the 
 streets, and only relinquished it when it was found 
 that he neglected his studies to indulge in an 
 exercise which pleased him, and enabled him to 
 offer to others a share in his pleasures. 
 
 He was kind-hearted and generous even in those 
 early days. He was also just and fair and honest 
 to a fault. Carried away by the success won in 
 his childhood he sought to minister to the plea- 
 sures of the troops of small friends prosperity 
 had brought around him. His pocket-money 
 was either shared with them or else expended 
 in those small luxuries dear to the juvenile 
 taste. When money was for a time not to be 
 commanded, his credit was good, and the expected 
 small treats were generally provided. 
 
 After an absence of many years when he re- 
 turned to Dublin, he was walking down the street 
 in which his father died, Hamilton Eow, the 
 sight of the scene of former pleasures brought 
 with it a present pain, for he saw through a 
 certain shop window, the old woman who had 
 
EALFE. 21 
 
 frequently trusted him in days gone by. The 
 sight reminded him of the fact that he owed 
 the old soul a few shillings he had forgotten to 
 pay. He went in and said to the woman, 
 "Do you remember a young vagabond called 
 3alfe who went away many years ago in your 
 -debt ? " "I remember young Balfe," the 
 woman said, " he was not a vagabond, nor do I 
 mind me that he owed me anything. If he did 
 he was welcome to it, ,for he was a fine open- 
 hearted, generous lad." " I am that young 
 ,scamp," said Balfe, " and I have owed you that 
 money all these years, and I've now come to pay 
 it with interest." The old woman took the 
 sovereign Balfe offered her, and said that 
 " although she did not recognise her boyish 
 customer in the smart-looking gentleman who 
 stood before her, his liberal payment of an old 
 and forgotten debt, was to her a proof that he 
 could be no other than the happy, handsome, 
 spirited boy she had known, grown into a pleasant- 
 spoken kindly gentleman." 
 
 Although this story is in some sort a digression, 
 jits appearance in this place is justified by the fact 
 
22 BALFE. 
 
 that it exhibits a phase of character, very necessary 
 for the information of those who love to trace the 
 growth of those qualities in the child which they 
 admire in the man. 
 
 Eeference has been made to the gifts offered to 
 the child in recognition of his precocious talents. 
 The manner in which he used these gifts exhibits 
 his character in an interesting light. The story 
 of the boat which one of his admirers caused to be 
 built for him upon lines suitable to his age and 
 weight, showed the pluck and strength of purpose 
 which in after-life sustained him through many a 
 severe trial. His father had taken lodgings at the 
 village of Crumlin, a short distance from Dublin, 
 and on one day when he expected his boy to- 
 breakfast was surpi-ised and alarmed because he 
 did not keep his appointment. An hour or so 
 after the breakfast had been removed the boy ap- 
 peared, bravely carrying his boat after him on the- 
 road. He had rowed himself along the canal, 
 had lifted his craft over every lock, and now 
 brought it to his father's house for safety, not 
 caring to leave it where his eye could not keep 
 watch over it. The energy thus displayed was: 
 
BALFE. 23 
 
 extended to his studies. After playing for Mr. 
 James Barton he became his pupil, and what with 
 the instructions of his father, O'Rourke, his 
 additional master, and the friendly Meadows, he 
 managed to make acquaintance with the 
 characteristic qualities of all the instruments in 
 use both in the Orchestra and in the Military 
 Band. He was wonderfully quick in his studies, 
 and like most quick children was wont to prefer a 
 game of play to the steady exercise of acquiring 
 musical knowledge. Soon after Mr. Barton began 
 to give the boy lessons, his old master O'Rourke 
 left Dublin, and the new master knowing perhaps 
 something of the child's impulsive character, im- 
 pressed upon his parents the necessity of assiduous 
 practice. This the father ensured by locking the 
 boy up in the parlour of the house he had removed 
 to in Hamilton Eow, No. 3. When the child 
 sighing for liberty would perhaps pensively cease 
 to " run his scales " and go through his exercises 
 his father noting the silence, would strike the 
 floor above, and the boy answering the signal, 
 would resume his studies. He was with James 
 Barton, as a pupil, two years, and was followed by 
 
24 BALFB. 
 
 a boy, also bright and clever, R. M. Levey, whose 
 friendship made at that time continued throughout 
 life. 
 
 Young Balfe had now possessed so much skill 
 that he was able to earn a little money by the 
 exercise of his profession. He played solos at the 
 public concerts in Dublin and elsewhere, and was 
 distinguished not only for the facility of his 
 execution but also for the grace and expression of 
 his phrasing. 
 
 One day a stranger called at his mother's house 
 and announced himself to be a friend of her uncle 
 McNally, sent to inquire after his existing relations, 
 with the intention of leaving to them the large 
 fortune he had amassed. All who claimed kinship 
 made themselves particularly agreeable to the 
 ambassador, probably with the design of inducing 
 him to carry a favourable report of their be- 
 haviour to the rich uncle. 
 
 James McNally was related to Leonard McNally, 
 the author of the words of the song " The Lass of 
 Richmond Hill." James started in life as a 
 musician, and left the profession and went to the 
 West Indies, where he acquired a large fortune. 
 
BALFE. 25 
 
 He was related to Balfe on his mother's side. 
 Leonard McNally was a member of the Irish bar, 
 and wrote the libretto of an opera " Eobin Hood " 
 to which Shield set the greater part of the music. 
 It was produced at Covent Garden Theatre on the 
 17th March, 1784, and met with much success. 
 One of the songs, " As bums the charger " is still 
 a favourite with bass vocalists. 
 
 Young Michael William alone unmoved by 
 mercenary considerations, was the favourite of 
 "■ Mr. McNally's friend." He listened with wonder 
 to the stories told of the adventures in the solitary 
 waste, but cared little for the gently insinuated 
 tales of the wealth accumulated by so much hard 
 work, and of the prospect that Mr. MciNally might 
 be induced to leave aU to the clever little boy. " I 
 ■don't care for his money, but if he is so lonely 
 there in the plantations I should like to go and stay 
 with him, and learn to shoot and hunt the wild 
 creatures, and when we were tired of that, to come 
 home and to cheer him up in the long evenings 
 with a tune or two on my fiddle. It's so hard for 
 A man to be away from all his friends and relations 
 in a foreign land." 
 
26 BALFB. 
 
 McNally, for he was his own ambassador, was 
 touched, and when he returned to his home he 
 made a request that the boy should be sent out to- 
 him that he might welcome him as his adopted, 
 son. By this time Balfe had determined to devote 
 himself to the art he loved so earnestly, and he 
 therefore declined the tempting offer. Had he 
 decided to accept it, the event which occurred at 
 that time would have changed his resolution. His 
 father lay at the point of death. 
 
CHAPTEE III. 
 
 1823—1825. 
 
 William Balfe was never a strong man, but 
 neither Ms friends nor his relatives, least of all 
 himself, had any idea that his end was so near. 
 His mind was well balanced, and he could regard 
 the approach of death with the calmness of a good 
 conscience. He sent for his son and gave him 
 advice as to the method he should pursue in his 
 career through life. This counsel had double 
 value to the boy, inasmuch as it came from the 
 lips of one whom he had always tenderly loved, 
 and although he was unable to realize the full 
 force of the words at the time, a vague feeling of 
 dread of h.e knew not what, sharpened his memory 
 and impressed the scene upon his mind with vivid 
 force. 
 
 "Wlien his father was dead, the circumstance- 
 acquired a new meaning. The boy remembering 
 every word his parent had said, formed a resolu- 
 
28 BALFE. 
 
 tion such as might have been expected from one 
 who had already shown a marked firmness of 
 character. While his father could work the family 
 had lived comfortably, now he was gone their 
 prospects were not encouraging. Only forty years 
 old when he passed away, William Balfe had not 
 been able to make much provision for the family, 
 and when the small estate was realized, the pros- 
 pect was one of sorrow and gloom. Our young 
 hero, scarcely fifteen, determined to be no longer 
 a burden upon his mother. He cast about in his 
 mind for the means to support himself and also 
 if possible to add a little to the straitened means 
 of his mother and sisters. His father had not 
 been laid in the grave for more than a few hours, 
 and his excited imagination invested the house in 
 which his first grief was experienced with indefin- 
 able terrors. He trembled to remain in a place 
 where such a heavy grief had fallen on him, and 
 nothing would induce him to enter the room in 
 which the body had been laid. Tears after, when 
 he revisited Dublin, and went to see the house 
 with his niece " Bonny Gonn," the old dread re- 
 vived, and although he entered all the other rooms 
 
BALFE. 29 
 
 he could not overcome the fear which fell upon 
 him as he passed the door of that one room he 
 dared not enter. 
 
 His soul as -well as his body was wrapped in 
 mourning for his deceased parent. He wandered 
 in the twilight that evening to commune with his 
 o>vn thoughts away from the scenes which sug- 
 gested only one painful train of reasoning. 
 
 He had a hope of probable success in his native 
 Dublin, and might have earned a decent living 
 by taking such work as would ofEer itself. But 
 Dublin was familiarly associated with scenes and 
 events that brought only saddened memories now 
 to the orphan boy. If he had been permitted to 
 accept his uncle McNally's offer, he might be 
 rich, and could do something for his mother. 
 Would he were away from Dublin. All the sights 
 and sounds in the city brought only pain, the more 
 keen in proportion as at one time they had been 
 the source of pleasure. 
 
 Here was the theatre within whose walls he had 
 been witness of, and had also ministered to the en- 
 joyment of his fellow-citizens. On the walls were 
 the bills announcing this night to be the last ap- 
 
30 BALFE. 
 
 pearance of Miss Stephens and Mr. Charles Edward 
 Horn affcertheir twelve nights' engagement previous 
 to their departure for England. By an impulse he 
 cared not to control he determined to say farewell 
 to the man who a few days before had heard him 
 play, and had praised a song " Young Fanny, the 
 beautiful maid," he had written before he was 
 niae years old. The memory of kindness was dear 
 to the weai'ied little heart at that moment. He 
 might never see his friend again, and at the least 
 he would seek the pleasure of saying farewell. He 
 sent his name up, and was soon admitted to the 
 presence of the singer, who welcomed him and 
 spoke a few words of commiseration concerning 
 his recent loss. 
 
 Yielding to an impulse similar to that which 
 had induced him to enter the theatre, young Balfe 
 asked Horn to take him with him to England on 
 the morrow. He earnestly desired to try his 
 fortune in London. His father's death had left 
 his mother very poor, he had no wish to weaken 
 her slender means. He was anxious to- qualify 
 himself to earn his own bread, and was willing to 
 do anything which should further this project. 
 
BALFE. 31 
 
 Such an appeal fell upon the ears of the listener 
 with surprise, but it was favourably received. 
 Moved by pity for his misfortunes, and by admira- 
 tion for his genius, he comforted tbe boy by con- 
 senting to take him, provided that his mother 
 would agree to the arrangement. The mother 
 was at first loath to part with her child, but she 
 felt pleased and flattered at the offer made. She 
 foresaw in it, the opening of a career which might 
 prove of the greatest benefit to him. So with 
 many tears she agreed to let him go, and early the 
 next morning gave up her boy, sorrowfully assent- 
 ing to an action which made a wider vpid in her 
 care-laden breast. 
 
 Two hours later the mother and child parted, 
 each smothering their emotions, and hiding from 
 each other the pangs which tore their hearts. 
 With a forced gaiety the boy promised his mother 
 to work hard and become a great man if industry 
 could accomplish such a task. The mother proud 
 of the fortitude of her child and echoing his hope- 
 ful predictions, left him after commending him to 
 the care of the heavenly Father who is the pro- 
 tector of the orphan and the widow. 
 
32 BAIJE. 
 
 His arrangement with Horn was that for seven 
 years he was to continue as his pupil, and to hand 
 over all the money he earned, and to receive in 
 return a series of lessons, and a certain percentage 
 of the fees he gained. Young Balfe soon found 
 that his master had exerted these conditions more 
 as a proof of the earnestness of his intention, than 
 from any expectation or desire of mating a profit 
 out of his genius. Horn's engagements became 
 numerous, and his occupations absorbing, but still 
 he kept his share of the bargain well and nobly. 
 If he had no time to devote to the education of 
 his young charge himself, he found the means of 
 advancing his studies. Under his own direction 
 Balfe learned to score for a band with facility and 
 accuracy. Prom his father Karl Friedrich Horn, 
 who was at that time organist of St. George's 
 Chapel, Windsor, he acquired a familiarity with 
 the subtleties of counterpoint and thorough-bass. 
 He also learned to play the master works of 
 John Sebastian Bach, of whose " Wohl-temperirte 
 Clavier," Horn had in conjunction with the elder 
 Samuel Wesley published an edition in London 
 some dozen years before. Thus his education re- 
 
BALFE. 33 
 
 ceived an additional scientific impulse. Soon after 
 Balfe arrived in London at the end of the month 
 of January, 1823, he was offered an engagement, 
 through Horn, to play at the Oratorio Concerts at 
 Drury Lane Theatre. Mori was the leader. Sir 
 George Smart the conductor. Though quite a boy 
 he possessed a steadiness and gravity in his busi- 
 ness far beyond his years. As he was then, so he 
 was all through life ; full of gaiety and ever ready 
 for fan, but when he had to work, his whole soul 
 was absorbed. He was another being. He worked 
 hard at the lessons set by Horn. He strove by all 
 means to improve himself, even entering his name 
 as a student at the recently founded Eoyal Academy 
 of Music. In the theatre he was punctual and 
 obliging, and the amount of knowledge he dis- 
 played' strengthened the good impression his re- 
 putation had made upon his brethren of the 
 orchestra. His behaviour at his duties so far 
 inspired confidence that he was appointed to play 
 on alternate nights a violin solo, the famous 
 Mori taking the other nights. Mori also occa- 
 sionally resigned the leadership of the band to the 
 boy, knowing that his lead would be loyally 
 
34 BALFE. 
 
 followed, and that the boy's intelligence would not 
 fail him in the right reading of the music. Out 
 of the theatre and free from his tasks he was as 
 light-hearted as ever, but in the orchestra he was 
 as steady as a rock. His attentiveness was a 
 pattern to his elders, and the gaiety of his dis- 
 position their admiration and delight. 
 
 One evening towards the winter when his 
 services were not required elsewhere, he went 
 into the gallery of the Haymarket Theatre at 
 which the comedy of "Paul Pry" produced 13th 
 September, 1823, was then running prosperously, 
 with Madame Vestris in the part of "Phoebe.^' 
 His master's song " Cherry Eipe " was the attrac- 
 tion for him. To his astonishment he heard also 
 his own ballad " Young Fanny " announced in 
 the bills with now different words " The Lover's 
 Mistake," by T. Haynes Bayly. Intoxicated with 
 the applause with which the song was welcomed, 
 he told the people who were sitting near him that 
 he was the composer. To his indignation and 
 chagrin he was called " lying young braggart " 
 for his pains. He was mistaken in thinking that 
 
BALFE. 35 
 
 wliit he knew to be the truth others would believe 
 without evidence to support his statement. 
 
 The song became so popular that Willis the 
 publisher, who had contented himself with pre- 
 senting the composer with twenty copies, made a 
 large sum of money out of it. The words were 
 printed in every song-book published at the time, 
 and the first number of the third volume of the 
 famous series called the " Universal Songster " 
 issued so late as 1823^ was sent forth with the 
 " Lover's Mistake," with an illustration by George 
 Cruickshank. The song was probably given by 
 Horn as a curiosity to Madame Vestris. Though 
 written more than sixty years ago it is remarkable 
 for that freshness of melody which always dis- 
 tinguished Balfe's compositions. 
 
 In after-years when his work had brought him 
 fame and profit, it is said that he was wont to kiss 
 the scores of his operas with all the affection that 
 a father salutes his loved offspring. He was 
 j)roperly proud of his w.)rk, but he was never 
 conceited. Perhaps the experience he had earned 
 in the gallery of the Haymarket Theatre, which. 
 
36 BALFB. 
 
 must have fallen with burning bitterness upon a 
 soTil so sensitive as his, may have taught him a 
 lesson the effects of which never left him. If any- 
 one had reason to be self-opiniated because of 
 success it was our Balfe. His career was one 
 of prosperity from the outset. But great men 
 are generally modest, and Balfe was a great man. 
 
 The Oratorio Concerts at which Balfe played 
 generally lasted through the season of Lent. De- 
 spite their title they did not necessarily consist of 
 whole oratorios so much as of selections from such 
 works, and of other items chosen to please the- 
 varied and improved taste of the public of the- 
 time. When the term of his first engagement ex- 
 pired, Balfe was invited to become a regular 
 member of the orchestra of Drury Lane theatre 
 then under the direction of the famous Tom 
 Cooke, an Irishman, a wit, and a very clever 
 performer. His name is remembered among 
 musicians by a number of amusing stories told 
 of his readiness at repartee, his practical jokes,, 
 his kind heart, and great abilities. His glees, 
 duets, and songs which have reached posterity 
 prove the last fact conclusively. As a musician. 
 
BALFE. 37 
 
 his chief fault seems to have been the readiness 
 "with which he tampered with the master works 
 '-of the great composers when he was called upon 
 to place them on the stage. It was his mis- 
 fortune to have had to do this in conformity 
 with the fashion of the time. Eespect to a com- 
 poser's design was not always paid unless he had 
 accommodated his work to popular taste. Eossini, 
 Weber, Beethoven, Mozart, Handel and others 
 were all " improved " by him, so that even when 
 works under his direction were announced, written 
 by either of those composers, the public was not 
 5ure, as he was wont to say, that they hadn't been 
 " Cooked." The ignorance of the public and their 
 indifference, together with the cupidity of the 
 stage managers of the period justified to a certain 
 extent the misuse of the talents of a truly fine 
 musician. 
 
 Cooke was a master-conductor, who could play 
 on every instrument in the orchestra. He per- 
 formed solos on nine different instruments on the 
 occasion of one of his Benefits. He was also a 
 sharp and observant man of the world, and knew 
 the depth and measure of th.e ability of every 
 
38 BALFE. 
 
 player in his orchestra. He soon found the value 
 of young Balfe's talents, and taking advantage of 
 the boy's punctuality and attention to his work,, 
 occasionally absented himself from his postj leaving 
 word for young Balfe to take his place as director. 
 In those days the conductor directed with his bow, 
 and enforced the emphasis of certain passages by 
 a vigorous lead on his violin. The spectacle of a 
 boy in a jacket and turn-down collar ruling with 
 spirit and energy a body of musicians his superiors 
 in age^ whose brightening eyes and earnest atten- 
 tion spoke of the confidence in, and the admiration 
 for, their young general must have been a remark- 
 able one even in those days. 
 
 At the close of the season of Oratorio Concerts 
 in 1824, the orchestra of Drury Lane was engaged 
 for a series of performances ata Vuxhall Gardens,. 
 then one of the most favoured places of resort out 
 of the metropolis ; the elder Mr. Gye then was 
 lessee. Balfe was included in the list of the 
 members of the band. Means of locomotion were 
 scarce and expensive, and as the Gardens were 
 kept open to a very late hour, which rendered it 
 inconvenient, if not dangerous to return home to- 
 
BALFE. 39 
 
 London on foot through the streets, the members of 
 the band were accustomed to hire lodgings close to 
 their work for the time of their engagement. Balfe 
 had neglected this duty until the last moment and 
 then was sorely troubled to find accommodation. 
 AU the places were full, and at last he presented 
 himself at a shabby-looking dwelling, the doubt- 
 ful character of which was augmented in his mind 
 by the strange hesitation of the mistress of the 
 house. She had a room, but it would not be ready 
 untU to-morrow. Not liking the prospect of having 
 to roam the streets all night, Balfe determined to 
 take the lodging as it was, even if he was to be 
 consigned to the haunted chamber, for such he 
 believed was the character of the room that the 
 confused landlady intended him to occupy. Tlie 
 fatigue he felt overcame all superstitious scruples, 
 there were no associations in his mind connected 
 with the place, and he dreaded nothing. He had 
 a quiet conscience, and he felt he could sleep 
 through thunder. He slept soundly. In the morn- 
 ing he found the room clean and tidy, and laughed 
 at his own fears, and wondered at the strange be- 
 haviour of the woman of the house. In surveying 
 
40 BALFE. 
 
 the room he opened a cupboard door and there saw 
 the corpse of an old woman which had been hastily 
 placed there. She had died the day previously, 
 had been laid out upon the bed he had occupied, 
 and so the cause of the uneasiness of the landlady 
 when he insisted upon occupying the chamber was 
 fully apparent. The shock he experienced revived 
 the memory of a scene which was never to be 
 blotted from his mind. Notwithstanding the 
 fright he had experienced, he showed no sign of 
 the eflfect of his adventure to his companions. 
 Tears after he was wont to tell the story as an 
 instance of the old woman^s eye to business, but 
 he never afterwards slept in a strange room with- 
 out examining every corner. 
 
 Balfe was a morally brave man, and could en- 
 dure trials with a resolution only possessed by the 
 firmest minds. He was not superstitious, but he 
 shrank from anything that reminded him of the 
 terrible grief he suffered when he lost his father. 
 In company with Edward Fitzball, the dramatist 
 and poet, he once paid a visit to Dr. Stavely King 
 to consult him about the bronchial affection from 
 which he suffered. There was a skeleton in the 
 
BALFE, 
 
 41 
 
 •surgery, and Fitzball, in a playful spirit, placed 
 Balfe's hat upon the skull. No one laughed more 
 heartily at the joke than Balfe himself, but when 
 he was about to leave the house the memory of 
 former shocks returned, and he gave the hat to his 
 servant and went home in his cab bareheaded. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1825—1826. 
 
 It may appear strange to those who reflect upon 
 the progress of the career of young Balfe^ that he 
 should have all the spare time he possessed, be 
 still pursuing his studies in composition, and yet 
 should have not given to the world any of the re- 
 sults of his labours. It never occurred to him to 
 rush to the publishers with his compositions with 
 that eager haste which is too often displayed now 
 by those who, having received some half a dozen 
 lessons in harmony, consider themselves qualified 
 to shine in all branches of composition, from a 
 double chant to a five-act opera. Balfe in his 
 early years was as open as the day, and he be- 
 lieved aU men to be as honest and as single-hearted 
 as he was. He was astonished to find that others 
 could not work with the same facility as himself, 
 and it may be imagined that his guilelessness was 
 soon discovered and taken advantage of. 
 
 A certain man who had a reputation as a popular 
 
BALFE. 43 
 
 composerj but whose name Balfe would never dis- 
 close, sought out and cultivated the friendship of 
 the clever youth, and strengthened his own repu- 
 tation by claiming as his invention certain pieces 
 of work which were done off-hand, at the request 
 of his cunning entertainer, who professed astonish- 
 ment at his facility and knowledge. Balfe never 
 divined the motives of the man who reserved the 
 written papers in memory of the achievements. 
 
 The confidence and innocence of the youth did not 
 permit him to see the subtlety of the snare laid for 
 him when his "kind friend" gave him ten pounds 
 for composing the music to a set of words intended 
 to form an opera, including the duty of scoring the 
 whole for a full band. A part of the money so 
 earned was transmitted to his mother, and part 
 was spent in a boyish freak with a companion, 
 George Graham. One scene of the freak consisted 
 of a journey to Gravesend and Eochester on 
 horseback, each calling the other for the nonce 
 Lord WiUiam or Sir George, to the astonishment 
 and admiration of innkeepers and ostlers. The 
 harmless, light-hearted joke was often referred to 
 as a pleasant memory in after-years. 
 
4-t BALFE. 
 
 The amount of money Balfe earned at this time 
 was little more than was necessary for his own 
 maintenance in an extravagant place like London. 
 It was with sorrow he saw his legitimate expenses 
 increase^ and the prospect of being able to send 
 some of his earnings to his mother more and more 
 remote. A passage in one of his mother's letters 
 suggested the thought that she might be in imme- 
 diate need of help. With his usual readiness of 
 resource he went at once to Maple son, the copyist 
 of the theatre at which he was engaged, and asked 
 for work, which was given to him. He sat up 
 night after night until it was finished, and had 
 the consolation of feeling, and the sweet assurance 
 of knowing, that he had made his mother happier 
 by his labour. 
 
 Time wore on, and Balfe, still under nominal 
 articles to Horn, continued to work, and to study 
 the several matters connected with his profes- 
 sion, as well as those things which were neces- 
 sary in other branches. With his customary 
 rapidity he became well acquainted with the 
 French and Italian languages, and was learned 
 in the literature of those tongues as well as his 
 
BALFE. 45 
 
 own. His memory was prodigious. He was quick 
 of acquiring knowledge, and retained all he 
 learned. He was accustomed in the periods of 
 recreation after business to imitate the famous 
 players and singers of the day. Among other 
 of his successful pieces of mimicry was that 
 which reproduced his master in his favourite 
 character of Caspar in " Der Freischiitz.'* He 
 was then seventeen, and his joking helped him 
 to discover that he had a voice of baritone 
 character, similar in power, though slightly 
 different in character, to that of his master. 
 After a short course of vocal training, the deve- 
 lopment of his voice was augmented by his 
 musical knowledge ; he conceived the idea of 
 adopting the lyric stage as a profession. His 
 hopes were raised to a high pitch when Mr. Crook, 
 the lessee of the Norwich Theatre, engaged him 
 to appear there as Caspar in Weber's opera, " Der 
 Freischiitz," then all the rage, even though it had 
 been first presented to the public in the mutilated 
 style then common with such things, and with the 
 addition of certain songs not properly belonging 
 to the opera. Balfe modelled his reading upon 
 
46 BALFE. 
 
 that of his master, Horn, who had created the 
 part in which he was to make his debut, Eis 
 fun had led him to a serious step, but in spite of 
 his knowledge and abilities he failed. Stage 
 fright seized him, and paralyzed each effort, and 
 the performance was made most lame and impo- 
 tent by his nervousness. Another terror arose. 
 The business was brought to a conclusion by a 
 ^' stampede," consequent upon a false alarm of fire, 
 arising from a too realistic representation of the 
 scene in the " Wolf's Glen." He returned to 
 London, humiliated but undaunted, and resumed 
 his old place in the orchestra of Drury Lane 
 Theatre. 
 
 His courteous manners, his good humour, and 
 his willingness to exhibit his accomplishments, 
 made him a welcome guest everywhere, and secured 
 for him a large circle of friends. Among these 
 friends was Mr. Heath, a banker, who exercised 
 all his influence in, making the path of life as easy 
 as he could for the young man whose talents he 
 admired so greatly. 
 
 At one of these reunions Balfe met the 
 Count Mazzara. The Count was a Eoman 
 
BALFE. 47 
 
 of great wealtli, and liad recently lost his 
 only son, to wliom Balfe bore so great a re- 
 semblance as to cause at their first meeting 
 a most violent shock to the still grieving 
 father. The gloom of his sadness was dispelled in 
 a measure by the enjoyment he experienced in 
 hearing Balfe play and sing, and having learned 
 from the host that the young man was studying 
 for the musical profession, he generously offered 
 to furnish him with means to attain the end he 
 had in view. Balfe found no difficulty in getting 
 free from the few engagements he had yet to fulfil, 
 and speedily prepared himself to depart with his 
 patron for Italy. The burning hope of his life 
 had been that he might some day or another visit 
 Italy for the purposes of study. That which at 
 one time seemed to be so far out of reach, was 
 now placed within grasp under circumstances 
 of the most romantic character. On their way 
 ±0 Eome they passed through Paris, and Balfe had 
 the opportunity of seeing and hearing all that was 
 being done in what was then considered the central 
 missionary station of art. 
 
 Here he was introduced by the Count Mazzara 
 
48 BA.LPE. 
 
 to the veteran Cherubini, then in the sixty-sixth 
 year of his age, holding the post of Director of 
 the Royal Conservatoire of Music. 
 
 Balfe had heard in London many stories about 
 the rude behaviour of the old Italian to young 
 aspirants for musical honours, and it was there- 
 fore with no little trepidation that in reply to 
 the demand — for so it appeared to him to be — to 
 produce some of his compositions, that Balfe ex- 
 hibited only a few exercises. He had not pre- 
 pared the customary work which every young 
 composer has in his portfolio, the recognition of 
 whose merits is confined to a very limited area. 
 He had only his studies in counterpoint and a 
 few songs, and one or two overtures scored for a 
 band, intended chiefly for the eyes of his teachers, 
 Karl Friedrich and Charles Edward Horn. 
 
 These were pure and accurate in style, and with- 
 out being pedantic were dignified and gracefuL 
 His melodies also possessed a charm which ap- 
 pealed directly to the heart of the Italian maestro. 
 He then heard him play both upon the pianoforte 
 and violin, and was delighted to find that the 
 young man was equally happy in his power of 
 
BALW. 49 
 
 reading at sight, not merely playing the notes ac- 
 curately, but also of divining the expression suit- 
 able to the music. 
 
 Cherubini welcomed the young musician with 
 enthusiasm, and so far departed from his cus- 
 tomary treatment of budding genius as to invite 
 him to make his stay in Paris in order that he 
 might superintend his musical studies. The 
 Count Mazzara was willing for Balfe to decide to 
 accept or decline the valuable offer on his own re- 
 sponsibility, expressing his readiness to help him 
 with his purse to follow the course which Cheru- 
 bini suggested. Balfe's heart was set on Italy, 
 and while promising to ask the counsel and advice 
 at any time he might need it which the old man 
 proffered, he left Paris for Italy, to seek admission 
 into the ranks of the musicians whose works were 
 holding the public mind in willing captivity. He 
 also hoped to be able to develop his voice and 
 method by such instruction as could be obtained 
 only in " the land of the sonnet and the song." In 
 due time they arrived in Eome, after having passed 
 through all the chief cities of the South, and 
 visited every possible place of interest. Balfe's 
 
50 BALFE. 
 
 artistic inclination enabled him to appreciate to 
 the utmost the architectural beauties, the pic- 
 turesque scenery, and the noble works of art, full 
 of intrinsic and historical value, on their progress, 
 his inclinations being guided into a right channel 
 by the extensive and sympathetic knowledge of 
 the Count, his cicerone. 
 
 His emotions upon reaching Eome were such as 
 might be expected to be experienced by one so im- 
 pressionable. The gloominess of the twilight hour 
 invested the most ordinary buildings with an 
 aspect of romance that did not fail to make itself 
 felt upon the silent wondering youth. When the 
 carriage had passed through the gates of the 
 Mazzara Palace he awoke to the fact that he had 
 entered upon a career which was to be in every 
 respect different to his previous mode of life. His 
 first thought was of his mother whom he had left 
 in her far-off humble dwelling. While he was still 
 thinking of her the Count led him by the arm 
 through the dimly lighted hall, up a wide stair- 
 case, and then into a saloon which seemed to be 
 lighted with great brilliancy in comparison with 
 the feeble rays through which he had just passed. 
 
BALFE. 51 
 
 There lie saw in. the softly lighted saloon, two 
 ladies, one of whom for the momeat he thought 
 was the mother whose image was present in his 
 jnind's eye. 
 
 The Countess Mazzara was deeply moved at the 
 living image of her lost son, and bursting into 
 tears embraced young Balfe with the fondness of 
 ^ parent. 
 
 In this luxurious home Balfe lived for many 
 months, only occasionally writing to his friends to 
 inform them that he was yet alive. He was never 
 fond of letter-writing. He did not neglect his 
 studies, but assiduously worked at composition, 
 under Ferdiuando Paer, but he did not pro- 
 rsecute his work so vigorously as he would have 
 done had he been spurred by the thorn of 
 necessity. He occupied his leisure time in the 
 composition of an opera " OteUo," the book being 
 the same as that used by Eossini, to ease his 
 conscience for indulgence in undesirable idleness. 
 At times he fretted at his inactivity, and longed 
 for work in which his independent spirit might 
 find its truest utterances. As he had no 
 thought of being anything else to his kind 
 
52 BALFB. 
 
 friends ttan a welcome guest, he took ad- 
 Tantage of the departure of the Count Mazzara 
 for England at the beginning of the year 1826^ 
 to ask to be permitted to continue the musical 
 training which had been so pleasantly suspended 
 for a time. Balfe did not wish to return to Eng- 
 land with the Count, and at his suggestion fol- 
 lowed the Maestro Federici with whom he had 
 been studying, as well as with Paer, a part of his 
 time in Home in a somewhat desultory fashion, to 
 Milan, the city he proposed to make his future- 
 home. 
 
 It was a painful separation, but it was necessary.. 
 Had he yielded to the promptings of the idle side 
 of his nature he might have lired in comfortable- 
 obscurity for the remainder of his life. He loTcd 
 his adopted mother much, he loTed his own toother 
 more, he loved his art best. He had promised his 
 mother to work, and to return to her a famous 
 man, if industry and perseverance could make him 
 such. The time was passing rapidly on, and he 
 had as yet done nothing. All the fame he had 
 earned had been awarded to him ere he left his- 
 Iiish home. Up to a certain tim,e he had been. 
 
BA.LFE. 53 
 
 working hard to improTe his knowledge and ac- 
 complishments. His hand had been laid upon the 
 plough, and he had wearied before the furrow was 
 completed. He had not been true to his word, he 
 had not been altogether idle, but he had not used 
 his adyantages properly. Henceforth he would 
 work. From this time forward he would strive to 
 realize his promise to his mother. He therefore 
 accepted Count Mazzara's offer, and foUqwed 
 Tederici to Milan to work and redeem the time he 
 had scattered, but he hoped had not wholly lost. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 1826—1827. 
 
 The Count Mazzara had generously placed a sum 
 of money to the credit of young Balfe with his 
 agent at Milan, and had so far shown a continued 
 interest in his jprotege as to introduce him tO' 
 several people of position there. Taking an 
 affectionate leave of him he departed, and Balfe- 
 realised the fact that the serious business of life 
 was to begin. 
 
 In Milan therefore he resumed in earnest those 
 studies which had been for a while suspended 
 during his sojourn at the Villa Mazzara. He had. 
 just completed his eighteenth year, and his voice 
 was more formed and flexible. His hope of becom- 
 ing a vocalist was based upon better ground than 
 it had been when he made his debut at Norwich, 
 and he worted hard until as usual he had learned 
 as much as his master could teach him. All that 
 he looted for now was a favourable opportunity to- 
 appear upon the stage and commence a career 
 
BALFB. 55 
 
 which had so much charm. He felt that all he 
 needed was experience. This he hoped to obtain 
 when once he was admitted to the ranks of operatic 
 artists. His musical qualifications were such as 
 gave him a great advantage over many who were 
 occupying the position he sought for. He could 
 read at sight any music placed before him, whether 
 it was for the voice, the pianoforte, or the violin. 
 This was a power not possessed by one in ten in 
 those days. The repertoire of an operatic vocalist 
 was only added to after much labour and frequent 
 repetitions. In every one of the Italian towns, 
 where there was an opera house and a troupe of 
 singers, was to be found an old musician whose 
 business it was to teach singers their parts, by 
 constantly and persistently drumming them into 
 their ears. Balfe's knowledge of music would 
 save him the trial and expense of all this drudgery, 
 and he could dispense with the aid of the 
 repetitev/r. 
 
 Federici tried all he knew to induce Glossop the 
 manager of the theatre at Milan to give Balfe an 
 engagement as the composer. He could not suc- 
 ceed in making the impresario believe in the talent 
 
56 BALFE. 
 
 of tte young man. He had heard him play, he 
 had heard him sing, he had seen the compositions 
 which Pederici proudly showed as the work of his 
 young pupil. They were all very well no doubt, 
 but Balfe had not written for the stage, and 
 Glossop being only an impresario, had no power 
 of forming a judgment of the talents of any one 
 who had not been submitted to a public trial, and 
 moreover he was an Englishman, and whatever his 
 talents might be, he belonged to a country, in 
 whose artistic productions Glossop had no faith, 
 for all that he belonged to it himself. 
 
 Glossop had two theatres under his control. La 
 Scala in Milan, and San Carlo in Naples, the most 
 important lyric temples in Italy. Notwithstanding 
 the fact that he was an Englishman, and had 
 married an Englishwoman, Miss Eearon, a most 
 accomplished singer of whose talents he thought 
 so much that he engaged her for bis theatre at 
 Naples, in the place of the great Madame Fodor, 
 who had gone to Germany, at a salary of thirty 
 thousand francs for the operatic year, still he could 
 not be induced to believe that any other of his 
 
BALPB. 57 
 
 compatriots possessed sufficient talent for his pur- 
 poses. 
 
 He was kind and hospitable to Balfe, as he felt 
 himself bound to be to one who came to him re- 
 commended by so valuable a friend and so powerful 
 a man as the Count Mazzara, but he was English. 
 
 Federici had caused some of Balfe's compositions 
 to be performed at a concert of the Conservatoire. 
 To this concert Glossop was persuaded to go, and 
 the music he then heard impressed him favourably. 
 He might not be able to find anything for Balfe to 
 do as a singer, but an opportunity might present 
 itself for him to allow him to try his hand at com- 
 position. This opportunity was soon found. All 
 Europe was then fascinated with the adventures 
 of a French sailor " La Perouse," who had been 
 shipwrecked on a savage island and had lived with 
 the natives for some years before he was rescued. 
 His experiences were made into novels, dramas, 
 operas, and ballets. The story admitted of a large 
 amount of barbaric display, such as Meyerbeer 
 found so effective for his opera " L'Africaine." 
 Glossop had with the assistance of his scene 
 
58 BALFE. 
 
 painter and property-man Barrymore, also an 
 Englisliman, concocted a ballet •upon the all- 
 absorbing subject, and as they relied upon the 
 effect to be produced by the scenery and groupings, 
 he conceived it to be a small matter by whom the 
 music was written. He therefore commissioned 
 Balfe to furnish the necessary score. It was re- 
 quired in haste of course, but Balfe set to work 
 with an energy and determination, aided by a 
 genial appreciation of what was required for the 
 evolutions of the dancers, that at the first re- 
 hearsal everything was ready, and so happily did 
 the music suit the situations that scarcely an 
 alteration was required. 
 
 The enthusiasm inside the theatre at the success 
 of the young Irishman, was communicated to the 
 outside world, and to Glossop's astonishment the 
 music made as great an effect upon the public as 
 the spectacle which was of the most gorgeous 
 type. The Overture was encored, a March of the 
 tribes was highly spoken of, the principal dances, 
 and an Intermezzo descriptive of storm and ship- 
 wreck provoked the highest enthusiasm. 
 
 Glossop was delighted, and being convinced by 
 
BAirE. 59 
 
 a process of reasoning which a theatrical manager 
 knows how to follow, promised to find an opening 
 for the young composer as a singer as soon as 
 possible. Balfe still looked forward to attaining 
 a position as a singer, rather than as a com- 
 poser. He continued his studies with Federici, 
 and with the Filippo Galli for whom Eossini had 
 written the part of Assur in Semiramide. This 
 experienced artist having heard Balfe^ had 
 taken him as a pupil for dramatic singing, 
 and upon his report Glossop had made the pro- 
 mised engagement. This was to commence in the 
 following spring, now but a few months off, and 
 Balfe's heart beat high with hopes of such success 
 as he felt sure earnestness and industry would 
 bring. 
 
 Before the spring returned Glossop had resigned 
 the directorship of the theatre La Scala at Milan,, 
 in order to give his undivided attention to that at 
 Naples, and Balfe^s hopes were once more dashed 
 to the ground. It was unfortunate that Glossop 
 should not have been enabled by his own ex- 
 perience to prove that it was quite possible for 
 good musical talent to be possessed by a native of 
 
60 BALPE. 
 
 that country which had produced good stage 
 managers. 
 
 Balfe now felt the world was before hitn, and 
 to preserve his independence it was necessary that 
 he should exert himself in the direction towards 
 which his artistic sympathies led him. The suc- 
 cess of the ballet "La Perouse," suggested no 
 thought to him of following his bent as a com- 
 poser. 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1827, he returned 
 to Paris, intending to stay a few days only before 
 returning home. He had not seen his mother for 
 a long time, and his heart began to yearn for the 
 solace he would be certain to find in her kindly 
 greetings, through all his disappointments. To 
 his mother he would go. His pride would not 
 permit him to revisit Eome, and be once more the 
 welcome dependant of his kind friends and patrons 
 the Mazzaras. He would go home. At the worst 
 he would ask his old friend Tom Cooke to find 
 him a stool in the Drury Lane orchestra, and he 
 would bear the disappointment he had had to 
 suffer with the best grace possible. Fate seemed 
 to be against his even becoming a singer, while 
 
BALFE. 61 
 
 his prospects as a composer were not brilliant 
 so long as ttere remained the difficulty of per- 
 suading any impresario to entrust him with a 
 libretto. When he found himself in Paris his first 
 thought was to present himself to Cherubini. The 
 old man received him very kindly and encouraged 
 him by referring to the success his music to " La 
 Perouse " had won, the news of which had been 
 conveyed to him from Italy. He questioned Balfe 
 about the work he had been doing, and won from 
 him a recital of his plans and desires, and also 
 heard him express his disappointment at the 
 failure of his hopes. Cherubini showed his latest 
 composition, a setting of the hymn " O Salutaris/' 
 for three voices, written for the celebration of 
 Boieldieu's marriage, and set out in score which 
 Balfe, walking to the pianoforte, read off at sight, 
 to the satisfaction of the author, who then asked 
 him to sing something that he might judge of the 
 progress he had made. At the conclusion Cherubini 
 said " You ought not to go to London if you wish 
 to see the fulfilment of your desires. You will be 
 lost there. Remain in Paris a few days until we 
 can see what can be done to assure your debut at 
 
€2 BALPB. 
 
 the Italian Opera." After a moment's thougM he 
 said, " Come dine with me to-morrow here, if you 
 -can, I will ask Rossini, will introduce you to 
 Mm, and he shall tell me what he thinks about your 
 abilities, that you may hear. He is, of all men 
 the one who will most readily appreciate your 
 talents, and will forward your best interests." 
 
 Rossini at that time was Director or Inspecteur- 
 General du Chant de France, not Director of the 
 Italian Opera as Balfe thought, but still his word 
 was powerful in a place like Paris, and inde- 
 pendently of the fact of his official position, Balfe 
 longed to meet a man whose works he admired so 
 greatly and whose name was a tower of strength 
 in every opera house in Europe — a man who was 
 the musical idol of the day. 
 
 Punctual to a moment Balfe presented himself 
 at the official apartments of Cherubini in the Rue 
 Poissoniere, and was welcomed by his host, and 
 introduced to M. Gallois and one or two other 
 friends who were present. In due time Rossini 
 appeared, accompanied by his wife, the beautiful 
 Madame Colbran, one of the greatest singers of 
 her time, and for whom Rossini had written some 
 
BALFE. 63 
 
 of his best parts. She had retired from the 
 operatic stage, but occasionally her beautiful voice. 
 Mezzo-soprano in range. Contralto in quality, 
 ■was heard at the private reunions of her friends. 
 
 It was a great event in the life of Balfe to 
 meet the husband and wife each so famous. It 
 was with immeasurable pride that he returned the 
 greeting of Eossini, and accepted his congratula- 
 tions upon the success of " La Perouse," concern- 
 ing which his friend and Balfe's master, Filippo 
 Galli, had already written. Balfe was therefore 
 not wholly a stranger to the great Rossini. 
 
 After dinner, Balfe was invited to sing. Cherubini 
 chose some duets written by his illustrious guest, 
 and Madame Rossini joined her voice with that of 
 the aspirant for fame, Rossini accompanying, and 
 Cherubini listening with critical admiration. 
 
 It was a proud moment in the young man's 
 life. In after-years he was wont to say that had 
 nature endowed him with the power of repre- 
 senting scenes and incidents pictorially, the one 
 picture he would spend his best energies upon 
 would have been the scene in the saloon of the 
 apartments in the Rue Poissoniere. 
 
64 BALFE. 
 
 Rossini was charmed with tlie sweetness and 
 flexibility of Balfe's voice, and above all with the 
 artistic spirit and intelligence of his rendering. 
 When in the course of the evening Balfe had 
 gathered together some of his old saucy spirit, 
 and sat to the piano and accompanied himself in 
 the song, " Largo al factotum," from " II Bar- 
 biere," Eossini was delighted. At the same time 
 he told Balfe that he was sorry he had heard him 
 perform the task/' inasmuch as," said the com- 
 poser, good-humouredly, " until this time, I had 
 imagined that no one in the world could do that 
 but myself." 
 
CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 1827—1829. 
 
 In obedience to the request which Eossini had 
 made the night before, Balfe called upon the great 
 master the next day. He was ushered into the 
 quiet, luxurious room in which the composer was 
 said to work — a room filled with knick-knacks of 
 great artistic worth and association. By the 
 window was a handsome lectern on which was 
 opened a full score. On the wall above the writing 
 table was a splendid portrait of Mozart, whose 
 works Eossini venerated, and whose genius was 
 summed up by him in the inscription, set under 
 the portrait, " Maestro dei Maestri." 
 
 Balfe had scarcely time to note any other of the 
 interesting articles in the room, for Eossini en- 
 tered. He seemed to be greatly desirous of serving 
 Balfe. He promised to recommend him to the 
 Direction of the Italian Opera for an engagement 
 on condition that he would place himself under 
 Bordogni for twelve months for the purpose of 
 
66 BALFB. 
 
 study. Balfe thought this a hard condition, but 
 kept his thoughts to himself and agreed to the pro- 
 posal. 
 
 Rossini had a double motive in making the pro- 
 position, one portion of which he disclosed in such 
 a manner as to make Balfe believe it to be the 
 whole. He told him that he wished him to 
 succeed Pellegrini, who was then advancing in 
 years, and gradually losing his voice, and to take 
 the whole range of the characters in which the 
 great baritone had made himself famous. 
 
 The twin motive was that Eossini guessed from 
 the years of young Balfe that his voice was not 
 fuUy matured, and required time and judicious 
 treatment to develop its now only promising 
 powers. 
 
 Balfe accepted the offer without hesitation, 
 and thanking Eossini, who had shown so real 
 an interest in his welfare, hastened to Cherubini 
 to tell him the result of the interview. On his 
 way to the Conservatoire, Balfe began to think 
 that he had but very little money left, and pon- 
 dered in his mind as to how and where he was to 
 find the funds to pay for Bordogni's lessons and 
 
EALFE. 67 
 
 Tiis own maintenance. Before lie had solved tlie 
 difficulty he was in Cherubini's room, waiting for 
 the appearance of the maestro. 
 
 His ever-retentive memory enabled him to re- 
 peat word for word all that Rossini had said to 
 him. To the expressions of his gratitude Balfe 
 added those of his hopes and fears. As the thought 
 •of his conference with himself flashed across his 
 mind, the qualifying " but " rose to his lips. 
 
 "But what ? " said Oherubini. 
 
 " I cannot live in Paris or pay for Bordogni's 
 lessons, for I have no money," explained Balfe. 
 
 " Be easy," added Cherubini, " all that is pro- 
 "vided for. My friend M. GaUois, whom you met 
 -here last night, has expressed himself willing to 
 be your friend also. He has desired me to say 
 that if Rossini's report of you was favourable, 
 .and that if it was necessary for you to remain in 
 -Paris to study, that he should be happy to place 
 ten thousand francs at your disposal to make the 
 way pleasant for you." 
 
 The heart of the young singer literally leaped 
 for joy ; the tears came into his eyes at this unex- 
 j)ected stroke of fortune. 
 
68 BALFE. 
 
 The old man heard the few words of thankful- 
 ness which expressed whole sentences of feeling: 
 with a grim smile as he said — 
 
 "But"— 
 
 " But what, maestro ? " in turn said Balfe.. 
 
 "There is a condition which; I make on my 
 own responsibility," said CheruMni. 
 
 "Name it," said Balfe, "and if it is within 
 my reach to accomplish I will make the attempt." 
 
 "It is this," said Cherubini, trying to look 
 severe, " that you come to me during the time 
 that you are in Paris, and let us read together." 
 
 Balfe accepted this offer with delight, and 
 Cherubini was pleased at the opportunity of keep- 
 ing near to him the young man whose frank and 
 genial disposition had so charmed him at the first 
 interview, when he played from memory to the- 
 silent old Italian many of the pieces he had studied 
 with Horn — fugues by Bach, choruses of Handel, 
 and arrangements of overtures by Cherubini him- 
 self. 
 
 Balfe's work with Bordogni prospered. The 
 flexibility and extensive compass of the voice of 
 the pupil charmed the master. He wrote for him, 
 
BALPE. 69 
 
 a series of exercises which formed the nucleus of 
 that famous course of solfeggi upon which Bor- 
 'dogni's artistic reputation was established and ex- 
 tended. 
 
 So great progress was efPected, that before 
 twelve months had passed Balfe made his appear- 
 ance at the Th6§,tre des Italiens as Figaro in 
 Rossini's " H Barbiere." Madame Sontag was the 
 Romia ; Signor Graziani^Dr. Bartolo; M. Levas- 
 seur, Basilio; Signor Bordogni, Balfe's master, 
 was the Almaviva. 
 
 The proof that this performance was successful 
 in the most gratifying form may be found in the 
 fact that the opera, with the same cast, was re- 
 peated nine times, and what is more to the pur- 
 pose, Balfe was engaged by Laurent, then manager 
 of the theatre, for three years. 
 
 This good news was brought to our happy bari- 
 tone by Eossini. 
 
 "Tou have done well, but you must continue to 
 work. Work, work, and yet work, and you will 
 become famous — must become so — by your sing- 
 ing and your compositions here and throughout 
 the Continent — ^perhaps also in your own country," 
 
70 BALPE. 
 
 The young artist was full of pride at this en- 
 couragement, and read with pleasure the note of 
 the terms Laurent offered — 15,000 francs for the 
 first year, 20,000 for the second, and 25,000 for- 
 the third ; not a bad beginning for a young man 
 not yet twenty years of age. 
 
 In the course of the engagement he sang the 
 principal baritone part in all the favourite and 
 popular operas then known. His chief triumphs 
 ■were in Mozart's " Don Giovanni," the principal- 
 part in which opera it is said that he played con 
 amore, and sang Mozart's music with a grace and 
 eharm of expression which could only follow in 
 the wake of a sincere appreciation of the genius 
 of the composer. He also sang in " La Gazza 
 Ladra," in ''L'inganno felice," and in "Cener- 
 entola." In this last-named work he was as- 
 sociated with Madame Malibran for the first time, 
 and made artistic acquaintance with a singer who 
 was to add to her own and to Balfe's reputation by 
 her performance in an opera not yet dreamed of. 
 
 Balfe continued to compose studies and exer- 
 cises with Cherubini, in which all the subtleties 
 of counterpoint and canonic contrivance were 
 
BALFE. 71 
 
 mastered by him with the like facility he had ever 
 shown in pouring forth melody, and with the 
 rapidity with which he had written the score 
 which earned him his first ten pounds. He 
 seemed to have no care for the value of this work 
 other than that which it brought him as an aid to 
 the interpretation of the several parts he was 
 called upon to sing according to his engagement. 
 
 He had no thought of becoming a composer. 
 
 His mind was set upon being a great singer, and 
 his only regret was that he had not had the oppor- 
 tunity of creating any new part. Before his en- 
 gagement commenced Eossini had produced 
 " Mozse " at the Academy of Music, and while it 
 continued he was working at the last and greatest 
 of his operas, "William Tell," which was pro- 
 duced in August, 1829, at which time Balfe had 
 entered on a new phase in his existence. Mean- 
 time, Rossini had noted the power Balfe possessed 
 as a composer, and only waited an opportunity to 
 do something to augment the fame he had gained 
 as a vocalist by bringing his inventive faculties 
 into exercise. 
 
 Eossini had said over and over again that when 
 
72 BALPE. 
 
 a man has written many operas he begins to be a 
 little tired. He does not exhibit the same eagerness 
 for work as he did when starting upon his career. 
 
 This he repeated when Laurent asked him to 
 furnish some additional concerted music for Zin- 
 garelli's "Eomeo and Juliet," which he was 
 about to produce for the sake of introducing 
 Madame Malibran as Eomeo. 
 
 The time was too short to make an appeal to 
 the old maestro, Zingarelli, who was then in his 
 seventy-sixth year, living in poverty and obscurity 
 in Naples, and moreover he had ceased to write for 
 the stage, and was devoting his spare hours to the 
 collection and collation of his Sacred compositions. 
 
 It was therefore decided to ask some one on the 
 spot. Eossini recommended Balfe for the work, who, 
 after a little hesitation, agreed to undertake it. 
 
 He carefully studied the style of Zingarelli's 
 music, which was written some thirty years 
 before, and so happily did he catch the spirit of 
 the worthy old master, and so ingeniously did he 
 infuse his own tuneful soul into the work, that the 
 effect was as though Zingarelli had been endowed 
 with a new life and novel ideas. 
 
BALFE. 73 
 
 The power of imitation which in time gone by 
 had revealed to him the knowledge that he was 
 gifted with a voice, now helped him to measure 
 his capacities as a composer. The ballet music 
 for "La Perouse" was dance music, which he 
 modestly said " any one might have written," 
 which is true if that any one had been Balfe, but 
 this was a different affair. The overture, the two 
 scenas for Madame Malibran and Mdlle. Blasis, 
 respectively as B.omeo and Gruilietta, and the two 
 spirited and dramatic choruses, were fully ad- 
 mired. The prima baritono now became anxious 
 to earn the laurel crown of the composer. 
 
 Once more his friend Eossini came to help his 
 desire. At his suggestion Laurent gave him a 
 libretto founded upon the story of " Atala," by 
 Ch§,teaubriand, the French Byron as he has been 
 called. 
 
 With the eagerness of an ardent lover Balf e set 
 to work at his libretto, and in an incredibly 
 short time worked out the whole scenario and com- 
 pleted three acta. 
 
 To do the best in his power to secure success for 
 the performance he had written the chief parts. 
 
74 
 
 BALFB. 
 
 according to his instructions, for Malibran, Alexis 
 Dupont, Leyasseur, and Adolph Nourrit, who 
 created manj of tlie best parts in Rossini's later 
 operas, as well as those of Auber, Halevy, and 
 Meyerbeer, and ended a brilliant career by com- 
 mitting suicide in a fit of insanity out of 
 jealousy for Duprez, then rising into fame. Balfe 
 worked so hard and closely to complete his opera 
 before the conclusion of his engagement as a 
 vocalist, that his health gave way, and his doctor 
 — the famous Forsate — ordered immediate rest, 
 cessation from work, and a sojourn to Italy. It 
 was the first manifestation of the disease which 
 was to carry him off some thirty years later. Dis- 
 appointed, and disheartened almost, at the inter- 
 ruption of what seemed to be the opening of a 
 new life, Balfe prepared to obey the request urged 
 by his medical adviser. To mitigate the disap- 
 pointment as far as possible, M. Gallois arranged 
 a morning performance at his house of those por- 
 tions of the opera which were already completed, 
 and invited a number of the most distinguished 
 members of Parisian society — musical, dramatic, 
 and artistic — to hear the music. 
 
BALFE. 75- 
 
 The applause and approval bestowed upon the 
 work was most encouraging. The artists for 
 ■whom the parts were designed were enthusiastic 
 concerning the share assigned to them, and Balfe 
 started with a light heart for his retreat in Italy, 
 already seeing in fancy the brilliant success which 
 everyone prophesied would be gained by the work 
 when completed. 
 
 His hopes were never realized. The opera was- 
 completed, and the remainder of the work was 
 considered to be superior to that which had called 
 forth the praise of the experts. Balfe had been 
 sensible enough to perceive the necessity of be- 
 stowing more thought and labour upon the un- 
 completed portions in order to avoid the possibility 
 of an unfavourable verdict from those whose judg- 
 ment had encouraged him to go on. 
 
 He proposed to visit Milan and one or two 
 other places in Italy before he returned to Paris 
 with his score at the appointed time. In order 
 not to encumber himself with needless luggage he 
 left his opera, and several of his smaller scores, 
 including the canons, fugues, and pieces in coun- 
 terpoint of many species, single and doable, which. 
 
76 
 
 BALFE. 
 
 formed the exercises he had prepared for Cheru- 
 bini during his staj in Paris, safely locked in a 
 stout wooden chest. This he carried with him 
 wherever he went, and when he reached Bologna 
 he left it ia the care of the Marquis Sampieri, who 
 was a great amateur and admirer of his talent. 
 
 He went to Milan to present the letters he had 
 received from his friend Rossini ; among others 
 one to the Count San Antonio, afterwards the 
 Duke of Canizzaro. Through the influence of this 
 nobleman he obtained an engagement as prima 
 haritono at the opera of Palermo, which was at 
 that time under the direction of the Count Som- 
 matino. 
 
 Having some time to spare, he could make his 
 journey by easy stages, and visit his early patron 
 the Count Mazzara, who was now returned to 
 Eome. On the point of starting from Milan, he 
 received a letter from the Marquis Sampieri, with 
 whom he had become acq uainted in Paris, pressing 
 him to stay with him at Bologna on his way to 
 Sicily. To Bologna he went, strengthened by 
 rest, and happy in the thought of renewing and 
 cementing a pleasant acquaintance with an agree- 
 
BALFE. 7/ 
 
 able amateur musician. The Marquis met him on 
 the road, gave him a Southern welcome, and de- 
 lighted at the prospect of being able to justify the- 
 terms of praise in which he had spoken of Balfe 
 to his friends, carried him off to the palace of the 
 Prince Bacchiocchi, the husband of the sister of 
 the great Napoleon, to be present at the first of 
 many/eifes he was to take part in while in that 
 neighbourhood — a ball given in honour of the 
 birthday of the Princess. 
 
 One of the guests of the evening was Guilia 
 Grisi, then in the eighteenth year of her age. She 
 had abeady made her debut at the Teatro Com- 
 monale in Bologna as Emma in Eossini's " Zel- 
 mira," and was within a few days to commence 
 the engagement for the carnival season which' 
 proved the outset of her brilliant career. 
 
 The young baritone and the young soprano 
 sang solos and duets together, delighting and as- 
 tonishing all to such an extent that while they sang 
 dancing was suspended, and the ball rooms were 
 deserted for the concert room. The elEecfc of the 
 singing of the two young, handsome, gifted, and 
 enthusiastic artists, attracted towards each other- 
 
78 BALFE. 
 
 hj a power they neither could define, may be 
 imagined by those who love to dwell upon such 
 scenes. 
 
 The fascinations of Bologna were so great, the 
 ■charms of the society so absorbiag, that Balfe 
 forgot both gratitude and duty. 
 
 He did not go to Rome to see his friends the 
 Mazzaras ; neither did he go to Palermo in time 
 to fulfil his engagement at the Opera. 
 
 He waited to celebrate the birthday of the 
 Marquis Sampieri, for which occasion he had 
 written a cantata with solos for Grisi and Signori 
 Tadolini and Pedrazza. The composer accom- 
 panied, and the chorus was formed by the ladies 
 and gentlemen of the place. 
 
 This work was considered so clever and inspired 
 that the Societa Pilarmonica di Bologna made the 
 author a honorary associate, and in compliment 
 to his entertainer, as well as a recognition of his 
 own social qualities, the exclusive Casino del 
 Nobili opened its doors to admit the young Irish- 
 man to the privileges of a life membership. All 
 this time he ought to have been at Palermo. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1830-1832. 
 
 AccoEDiNG to the terms of his engagement he 
 should have presented himself at the theatre in 
 Palermo at the end of the year 1829. That time 
 had arrived, and he was still enchained at 
 Bologna. 
 
 He was fully aware of the consequences of his 
 delay, but when he explained his position to his 
 friend the Count Sampieri, he obtained, through 
 the Duke of Canizzaro, a letter of introduction to 
 the Princess Cataldo, who was living at Palermo, 
 and possessed great influence in society. 
 
 With all the speed possible he departed, after 
 having taken leave of his many friends, and 
 arrived in Palermo in due course. He went 
 straight to the Palace Cataldo and presented his 
 letter. The kind-hearted Princess at once set 
 matters smooth by inviting the director, the Count 
 Sommatino, to meet the errant baritone at her 
 hospitable table. 
 
80 BALFE. 
 
 He made his debut on the 1st of January, 1830^ 
 in the part of Valdeburgho in " La Straniera " hj 
 Bellini, 
 
 It was the birthday of the King of Naples, and 
 the Viceroy attended in state. The house was 
 crowded, and Balfe, not knowing the etiquette on 
 such occasions, was astonished to find the Southern 
 audience as cold as Icelanders. No applause was 
 permitted when the Court was present except that 
 which was directed by the representative of the 
 State. Fearful lest he should have been thought 
 to be wanting in his efforts to please, Balfe threw 
 his whole soul into the Aria in the second act, and 
 so moved the whole audience that they unani- 
 mously murmured the approval they were not per- 
 mitted otherwise to express. The Viceroy gave the 
 signal for a repetition, and thus encouraged, the 
 whole house burst into a roar of approval. 
 
 If the manager had had any latent fear or doubt 
 that his primo haritono had delayed keeping his 
 engagement from incapacity, and a fear of pre- 
 senting himself before a critical audience, that 
 doubt and fear were dispelled. He had secured a 
 prize. The house was filled night after night until 
 
BALFB. 81 
 
 the opera had been repeated seventy times — a 
 course of repetition which brought nearer the 
 beginning of the Lenten season the close of Balfe's 
 engagement. 
 
 " La Straniera " ceased to be strange, and would 
 have been performed for the whole period of 
 Balfe's stay had not the chorus struck for an in- 
 crease of pay. Sommatino was unwilling to 
 comply with their demands, and longed for an op- 
 portunity to dispense with their services. Accord- 
 ing to his contract he must produce opera. Had 
 it not been so he would have arranged a series of 
 concerts, to be supported by his principal artists. 
 There were few operas available of sufficient in- 
 terest, without requiring a chorus, that would 
 bring the public to the theatre, and keep them 
 there when brought. 
 
 Balfe had grown attached to Sommatino during 
 the course of his engagement. The memory also 
 of his kindness in not clapping him into prison 
 when he arrived at Palermo, as he had the power 
 to do, also lived green in Balfe's mind. With his 
 customary readiness he offered to write a work 
 
82 BALFE. 
 
 that miglit serve the purpose required, if a suit- 
 able libretto could be concocted. 
 
 This was done. Balfe gave the poet of the 
 theatre a copy of a French vaudeville he had 
 brought with him, entitled " Les Eivaux d'eux 
 MSmes," and this was made into an opera, with 
 title " I Bivah di se Stessi." 
 
 While the work was being written — twenty days 
 was the time allowed — Cimarosa's " I Matrimonio 
 Segreto," Eossini's " L'Inganno Felice," in which 
 he had made a success in Paris, and Mozart's 
 " Cosi fan tutte " occupied the stage. " I Eivali " 
 bad no part for Balfe ; he generously omitted him- 
 self from the cast in favour of others. Mdlle. 
 Liparini and Signori Boccacini and Scalesi sang in 
 the opera, which brought the season to a satisfac- 
 tory end, without the public in any way missing 
 the services of the insubordinate chorus. 
 
 Balfe, in the list he made of his operas, and the 
 dates of their production, gives the year 1829 as 
 the period when "I Eivali" was written. This 
 m.ust be a slip of the pen, for that year was spent 
 by him partly in Paris, partly in Milan, and partly 
 in attractive Bologna. 
 
BALFE. 83 
 
 It is possible that counting the year by the com- 
 mencement of the engagement, he may have un- 
 intentionally misled the reader. 
 
 In Italy the chief engagement of the year is 
 called the Carnival engagement. This is usually 
 for about seventy days, terminating with Shrove 
 Tuesday, and as that date is variable, for it de- 
 pends upon Easter, the commencement of the 
 season occupies part of the last month of the pre- 
 ceding year. It is then called the Carnival of 
 1829-30, or so on, for brevity 1829. So it must 
 have been in the present instance. 
 
 It has been already shown that he did not begin 
 his engagement in Palermo until the first day of 
 the year 1530 ; the event which called for the 
 production of the new opera without chorus 
 did not occur until near the end of the Carnival 
 season, and therefore the year of its birth was 
 1830. 
 
 Balfe made a similar error in recording the date 
 of the production of the " Siege of Eochelle," 
 which was in the year 1835. This he had entered 
 on his list as 1836, a year too late. The lesser 
 work had been set down as having been done a. 
 
84 BALFE. 
 
 year too soon ; a compensation in some sort -with- 
 out a balance was thus effected. 
 
 After leaving Palermo Balfe still thought of 
 going back to Eome, and once more was prevented 
 by the offer of a small engagement at Piacenza^ 
 which he accepted, and hastened northwards. He 
 desired to renew the pleasant hours he had spent 
 in Bologna, but the chief attraction was else- 
 where. 
 
 After a short rest of a few weeks, he went 
 to Bergamo to arrange about an engagement for 
 the Carnival season of 1830-31. He did not 
 sing at Bergamo, but he made the acquaintance 
 of Mdlle. Lina Eoser, who afterwards became his- 
 wife, and to whose wise counsels and careful fore- 
 thought he was to owe his eminence. 
 
 Mdlle. Eoser, a lady by birth, and a. member 
 of a distinguished Hungarian family, was 
 at that time engaged to appear as prima 
 donna at the Carcano Theatre at Milan, in 
 company with the great Pasta, Elisa Orlandi, 
 Eugenie Martinet, and other ladies, Eubini, 
 Mariani, and Galli being the leading male 
 singers. One of the works intended to be pro- 
 
BALFE. 85 
 
 -duced during this season was " La Somnambula," 
 of Bellini, and the composer was anxious to give 
 the part of Amina to the young Hungarian lady, 
 who by her personal beauty, her rich and fall 
 voice, similar in quality to that of Catalan!, her 
 great talent for acting, and power of expression, 
 seemed to be in everyway fitted for the realization 
 of the part.* 
 
 Her knowledge of Italian at that time was too 
 lim.ited to permit of her making the trial without 
 risk. She sang the music superbly, but by the 
 advice of her instructor, the Cavallero Miche- 
 roux — who also was the vocal master of Pasta, — 
 she forbore to undertake the part, and it was 
 assigned to Pasta, with what result all the 
 world knows when it was produced on the 6th of 
 Ma,rch, 1831. 
 
 It was this characteristic self-denial which not 
 only ennobled her, but was also destined to con- 
 solidate the greatness of her future husband. 
 
 Meantime Balfe had to go to Pavia: He was 
 
 aU unconscious of the blessings that were in 
 
 *" Belle comma la jour, doufie d'un voix dont rampleur, la 
 richesse et la sonority ne pouvaient connaitre de ri vales, come- 
 dienne dela tete auxpieds." 
 
86 BALFE. 
 
 store for him. His dream of happiness was appa- 
 rently not to be realised, the horizon of bliss was 
 clouded because the friends of the lady with 
 whom he had fallen violently in lore had deter- 
 mined to prove, not for the first time, that the 
 course of true love never did run smooth. 
 
 Happily he was no repining lover, and did not 
 relax his endeavours to fulfil his duty, but worked 
 steadily on, with a dawning perception of the im- 
 portance of careful exertions to secure the object 
 lie had in view. 
 
 The " quiet confidence" which was his strength 
 had stood him in good stead on more than one 
 memorable occasion. In Pavia it was to be the 
 foundation of a development of power in a new^ 
 direction. 
 
 He never asserted himself, but was always ready 
 to undertake work which should help others out 
 of difficulties. In Milan he had aided Grldssop 
 with a bright and successful work, the ballet " La 
 Perouse." In Palermo he had saved the manager 
 from a premature collapse by his opera, " I Eivali." 
 In Pavia he was to help the manager again by 
 
BALFE. 87 
 
 undertaking to discharge a difficult duty in an 
 emergency for wMch he had made no provision. 
 
 Eossini's opera, " Mose in Egitto," was in re- 
 hearsal, and RoUa, the conductor, who was old in 
 years and older in prejudices, found the music far 
 too great a task than he cared to proceed with. 
 He could not satisfy the singers as to their ideas 
 of the reading of the music, ^.nd he did not care 
 to make the effort. The manager was in despair, 
 for the work had been announced, and expecta- 
 tion was raised to a high pitch. He entreated, 
 he implored, in the interests of his artists, who 
 were wearied of the obstinate incompetent. Holla 
 was inflexible; he would not yield. He was 
 primo violino and leader ; the thing must be done 
 his way. This passage must be altered, that ex- 
 punged, until the score was as nearly assimilated 
 to the "big guitar" pattern that he had been ac- 
 customed to. Rossini, in his opinion, had become 
 eccentric and exacting in his later compositions, 
 AU must be altered if he conducted. 
 
 Balfe, who had heard the work in Paris, had a 
 full impression of the pace of the several move- 
 ments, and of the effect of the instrumentation. 
 
88 BALFE. 
 
 At last he was appealed to, and modestly stated 
 his views. 
 
 The violin players failed to render one phrase 
 as neatly as was necessary. Balfe insisted upon 
 its repetition until they had mastered it to his 
 satisfaction. Rolla interrupted the practice by 
 calling out — 
 
 " You had better cut it out ; it is no violin pas- 
 sage at all." 
 
 " Not a violin passage ! " exclaimed Balfe. 
 " Eossini surely knew how to write for the instru- 
 ment upon which he was proficient." 
 
 "Very well, since you are so confident, perhaps 
 you will play for me, and I will sing for you," said 
 Eolla, hoping to humiliate Balfe, and not knowing 
 all his capabilities. 
 
 Balfe took a violin from the hands of one of the 
 members of the band, who were grinning in ex- 
 pectation of a lame performance, and played the 
 passage with power, expression, and accuracy. 
 The band, chorus, and principals burst into such a 
 torrent of applause that it swept poor Rolla out of 
 the theatre, which he never entered again. Balfe 
 could not foresee the effect of the mortification he 
 
BALFE. 89 
 
 had caused, and regretted the Irish impetuosity 
 "which had made him giye pain to a brother artist, 
 howeyer irritating he had been. 
 
 The situation had been forced upon him, and he 
 felt bound to follow it to the end, whatever that 
 ■end was. 
 
 " Mose " was successful, and once more the 
 season passed tranquilly. Before the conclusion 
 Balfe was invited to write another opera. Cir- 
 cumstances delayed the production until the day 
 when he was to finish his engagement and take 
 his parting benefit. The opera, " Un Avverti- 
 mento di Gelosi," was successfully receivedj and 
 was further made memorable by the fact that in 
 this Eonconi made his second appearance upon the 
 -operatic stage, and laid the foundation of a fame 
 which was soon to become European. 
 
 Balfe was now a recognised vocalist, whose ser- 
 vices had been secured for the best theatres in 
 Italy. He had proved that he was a competent 
 conductor, and that he was quick, fertile in his 
 ideas, and original in his inspirations as a com- 
 poser. 
 
 Fresh from his triumphs at Pavia, Balfe paid a 
 
90 BALFE. 
 
 visit to Milan, and the Cornara Opera House being 
 still open, lie was one among the most enthusiastic 
 of the audience on certain evenings. He was in- 
 vited to pay a visit to the manager of La Scala, 
 and in the interval between the receipt of the in- 
 vitation and the time for keeping the appointment 
 he built all sorts of castles in the air, the founda- 
 tion of all being his appointment at the theatre, 
 which of course he imagined was the object of the 
 invitation. He was disappointed in one respect, 
 but gratified in another. It was as a composer^ 
 and not as a singer, that he was to be admitted to 
 La Scala. This was, if possible, more honourable 
 a post than his imagination pictured. La Scala in 
 Milan is the north star in the operatic firmament 
 round which all the constellations move. To secure 
 success there is to attract the attention of the 
 whole musical world. 
 
 The new opera he was asked to write was called 
 " Enrico Quarto al Passo del Marno." The fresh- 
 ness of the melodies, the vocal character of the 
 phrases, the brilliancy of the orchestration, and the 
 basis of scientific knowledge displayed through- 
 out, enchanted critics, hearers, and singers alike.. 
 
BALFE. 91 
 
 The opera was successful, and for a long time re- 
 tained a place in the repertoires of the best operatic 
 theatres in Italy. By this Balfe obtained ultimate 
 fame, but little present profit. 
 
 Composers in those days were not able to ob- 
 tain large sums for their efforts. Eossini was' 
 never well paid for the best of his works. Doni- 
 zetti wrote whole operas for sums only a little 
 more than a modern writer obtains for a single' 
 song. The friends of Bellini urged him to de- 
 mand higher terms for his opera, " La Somnam- 
 bula," than had been paid before for a like work, 
 and yet he was paid only 10,000 francs. As times. 
 went Balfe was compelled to be content with 200 
 — about eight pounds — for " Enrico Quarto." 
 
 Madame Malibran, whom Balfe had known in- 
 Paris, was present at the performance of this 
 opera. She was the guest of the governor, at 
 whose soirees she had been singing during the few 
 days of her sojourn in Milan. She had recently 
 left Paris, and was on her way to Eome, where 
 she was engaged to sing at the Theatre Valle. 
 
 She was delighted to meet Balfe, and in express- 
 ing her admiration for his work, told him that she 
 
■92 BALFE. 
 
 should not be satisfied until she had sung in an 
 opera of his in London. 
 
 Balfe seemed to have forgotten all about London, 
 and to fear that his hope of returning to the 
 metropolis of Great Britain was too far for realiza- 
 tion. His countrymen may have heard of his fame 
 abroad, and he might become known among them 
 as a vocalist if any opportunity presented itself 
 which would bear him to London in its fulfilment. 
 But as a composer he appeared to think his chance 
 was doubtful because none were so prejudiced 
 against English composers so much as the English 
 themselves. 
 
 Malibran ever earnest and sincere on behalf o£ 
 those she took an interest in, prevailed upon the 
 manager to include Balfe in the company of 
 vocalists of " La Scala " and helped him to win 
 bright honour by the manner in which she per- 
 formed with him on the stage. She also organized 
 a tour in which he was engaged, which was both 
 successful and remunerative. The tour was ar- 
 ranged by Signer Puzzi who at the conclusion in- 
 duced Balfe to accompany him to London to try 
 
BALFE. 93' 
 
 his fortune among his countrymen as a leading 
 baritone singer. 
 
 With hearbs full of high anticipations, the 
 young baritone and his charming wife started for 
 England. He burned for the time when he could 
 show his countrymen that he had not been idle 
 during his long absence from his native land. He 
 could show his score of " La Perouse," his 
 " Atila," and he could for his own delight retrace 
 the stages by which he had arrived at the- 
 eminence they represented by means of his studies 
 with Horn, and Cherubini. To Count Sampler! he 
 sent asking to have the box in which they were 
 treasured despatched by Vetturina. The Count 
 promptly and courteously replied, saying that he 
 duly caused them to be delivered as directed. 
 The box never arrived, and though diligent search 
 and outcry was made, no vestige of its contents- 
 has been discovered to the present day. 
 
CHAPTEE Yin. 
 
 1833—1835. 
 
 The first few montlis of the year in wliicli Balfe 
 returned to London were bridged over by the few 
 engagements which were offered to him. He 
 appeared at the Ancient Concerts, then a most 
 exclusive institution chiefly supported by the 
 ^aristocracy, and justifying its title by the preser- 
 vation and occasional production of the fossil 
 remains of antique art. He also sang at other con- 
 certs in the season of 1833-4. The date is memor- 
 able in the annals of the music. The second visit 
 of Mendelssohn to London was made on the 27th 
 April in that year, and his Italian Symphony was 
 rfirst heard at a concert of the Philharmonic 
 Society. 
 
 In 1834 Balfe brought letters from Grisi and 
 Malibran to Mr. Arnold of the English Opera 
 House — now the Lyceum Theatre — and was com- 
 missioned by him to write a work with an English 
 libretto for the opening of the theatre which he 
 
BALFE. 95 
 
 had caused to be built. The author of the libretto 
 was Mr. Edward Fitzball, a dramatic writer of 
 great power and fancy, and above all, one who 
 was by no means deficient in the qualities looked 
 for in a true poet. The subject suggested by 
 Balfe himself, was the story upon which Eicci's 
 "La Chiara de Rosenberg" was founded. Fitz- 
 ball has left it on record, that by accident he 
 had read the book, two or three days before, 
 but did not seem to think the story sufiiciently 
 dramatic. Still he kept his opinion to himself 
 and set to work vigorously to write the book. 
 He was ardent and enthusiastic, and finding both 
 those qualities and others in the young genius 
 whose reputation had preceded him from the 
 Continent, there was no lack of will on the part 
 of the authors. Balfe laboured with a courage 
 and speed equal to that of his literary collaborateur 
 who had finished the first act in two days. The 
 score was given out, as it was written. The 
 parts were distributed, the rehearsals proceeded 
 with, and all who heard the music were 
 fascinated with its charm. The greatest success 
 was prophesied for the work. All at once Balfe 
 
96 BALFE. 
 
 learned to his dismay, that the manager did not 
 feel inclined to expend inuch money in the pro- 
 duction. The building of the theatre and other 
 expenses had reduced the treasury, and it was 
 thought that the public would come to the theatre 
 for the novelty's sake, and if Balfe's work was 
 what he knew it to be, it would attract audiences 
 for itself whatever was the manner of the mount- 
 ing. Balfe thought differently, and though it 
 was almost a death-blow to his hopes, decided not 
 to risk the production of his opera unless it could 
 be placed on the stage in a manner in which he 
 thought worthy. So the English opera which 
 was written for the English Opera House was not 
 given there. Loder's " Nourjahad " written the 
 year before, was substituted. Before the negotia- 
 tions were broken off, and while the rehearsals- 
 were still proceeding, Balfe was surprised to 
 receive a visit from his old leader and fellow- 
 countryman Tom Cooke, who was yet at his post 
 at Drury Lane Theatre. The lessee of the 
 national home of the drama at that time was- 
 Alfred Bunn, the poet Bunn, as he was after- 
 wards styled. 
 
BALPE. 97 
 
 Tom Cooke told Balfe, in confidence of course, 
 that he had been sent secretly to find out what the 
 music was like. Bunn's curiosity was awakened by 
 the glowing account he had heard from Mapleson, 
 the copyist to the theatre. The hitch in the 
 arrangements had probably also reached his ears, 
 and with his usual business-like astuteness he had 
 thought to enlist the services of Balfe, " this Signer 
 Balfi of whom every-one was talking," in time to 
 come, if not in the present. 
 
 Cooke's reply was characteristic. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Bunn, if you could only get this 
 ' Siege,' it would be a sort of wheel-within-wheel 
 arrangement. You would have the Siege on the 
 stage, and the walls of old Drury would be besieged 
 in turn." Bunn did secure the opera, and pro- 
 duced it on the 29th October, 1835. He agreed to 
 pay Balfe five pounds each night it was performed, 
 and was pleased at having made so easy a bargain. 
 The composer naturally felt proud of the advance 
 in his position since he last entered the theatre. 
 
 Mr. Henry PhiUips in his Musical and Personal 
 Eecollections does not tell the whole truth con- 
 cerning this matter when he states that Mr. Bunn 
 
 H 
 
98 BALFE. 
 
 accepted the opera on his recommendation. He 
 tells several anecdotes about our young composer, 
 the gist of which is intended to reflect creditably 
 on himself, and therefore in his generosity he has 
 not always been accurate. He is just to Balfe when, 
 he says that " ' The Siege of Eochelle' was full of 
 life, vigour, and originality, abounded in melody, 
 and was arranged most dramatically," but he knew 
 not the work nor the author until he met him 
 on the stage, during the rehearsals at Drury Lane. 
 
 FitzbaU, the author of the book, records his 
 impressions of the days previous to the production. 
 " Many and delightful were the rehearsals of this 
 opera ; they flow back to me in sweet melodies of 
 youthful feelings and early dramatic friends — 
 Henry Phillips, Seguin, Wilson, GiubelU (I never 
 knew how to spell his name), Paul Bedford, 
 Hallam, Miss Shirreff — charming Miss Shirreff, 
 and pretty Fanny Healey. 
 
 " It was a glorious night, the first night of 
 ' The Siege of Eochelle ' — one to wish your whole 
 life long the first night of a new play or a new 
 opera. The cram there was the fashion, the 
 delicious music, the enthusiastic applause, the 
 
BALPE. 99 
 
 double encores, never tad I witnessed anything 
 like it. ' Vive le Eoy,' ' Lo, the early beam of 
 morning,' and 'When I beheld the anchor 
 weighed/ * The Cottage near Eochelle,' were 
 especial marks of approbation, and had an 
 immense sale at the publishers', then Addison 
 and Beale, in Eegent Street. The applause 
 was so unanimous — so really applause, for those 
 who understand it, can always tell the real ap- 
 proval from the claquer — ^no knocking behind slips 
 by box-keepers. Under any circumstances a pro- 
 ceeding ' more honoured in the breach than in the 
 <)bservance.' So carried away were even persons 
 of the highest consequence by the enthusiasm 
 created by this beautiful music (thought by many 
 -stiU to be Balfe's best composition), that people 
 bent over, and nearly threw themselves from the 
 side boxeSj next the orchestra, to congratulate 
 and shake hands with the yo ung composer. They 
 crowned him with a wreath of flowers, and I 
 question, amid all the numerous and brilliant suc- 
 cesses of this great artist, if he ever felt such a 
 •delighted heart as on the first night of ' The Siege 
 of Eochelle.' " 
 
100 BALFE. 
 
 Professor Maefarren in his biographical notice 
 in the " Imperial Dictionary," says with the suc- 
 cess of this work, " Balfe was thus established as 
 a popular composer, ' My Cottage near Rochelle ' 
 was built in the streets of London ; ' Vive le Eoi ' 
 was sung as a benediction to the Sailor King, 
 William the Fourth." 
 
 The opera had a great run, and was played 
 together with a translation of "La Juive," by 
 Planche, in which Miss Ellen Tree (afterwards 
 Mrs. Charles Kean) and Mr. Vandenhoff sustained 
 the chief parts. 
 
 As Henry Phillips affirms the " success was 
 great, and yielded a great harvest both to the 
 composer and the treasury." 
 
 Queen Adelaide^ the consort of William the 
 Fourth, was delighted with the music, and ac- 
 cepted the dedication of the work when it was 
 published ; she also commanded a performance of 
 some of the chief morceaux of this opera at one of 
 the Court concerts. She caused — as a surprise to 
 Balfe — a set of silver bells to be made to accom- 
 pany the quartett " Lo, the early beam of morn- 
 
BALFE. 101 
 
 mg," for which she always expressed the greatest 
 partiality. 
 
 When our beloved Queen Victoria paid her first 
 state visit to the theatre, soon after her accession 
 to the throne, the " Siege of Rochelle " was per- 
 formed by special desire. The interest which she 
 then exhibited in the work of the foremost among 
 native composers, increased with increasing years, 
 and continued after the hand " whose sMlful pen 
 could reproduce the burning thoughts of a busy 
 brain," was still and cold. A portrait of the Queen 
 represented in the pride of youth and beauty, stand- 
 ing in her box at Drury Lane, on this occasion, was 
 one of the most successful artistic efforts of -th©- 
 fi^!^i^^(^,g\£!hAl«a. It was engraved on steel by Walker. 
 
 Balfe's name was now foremost in the minds of 
 the musical public. His melodies were on every 
 lip. His fame was secured, and he had confidence 
 in his own resources to believe that he would be 
 enabled by his subsequent productions to justify 
 the good opinion everywhere now expressed of 
 his abilities. He could return to his native land 
 with pride at having so far fulfilled his own 
 
1 02 BALFE. 
 
 prophecy concerning himself. But there was yet 
 mucli more to be done. Commissions for work 
 poured in on all sides. He who a short time ago 
 had felt grieved at the first repulse of fortune at 
 denying him a hearing, longed for greater power 
 to do all that was asked of him. 
 
 The pleasant and sweet cup of prosperity was 
 not without a dash of bitterness and gall. Hear 
 Mr. Bunn. "It became the fashion." he writes, 
 " as inrariably it does in this country, to abuse a 
 man the moment his abilities begin to denote a 
 mental superiority over those he is surrounded by. 
 In France, Italy, and Germany every species of 
 encouragement is held out to a rising genius — in 
 England he is subject to every possible detraction, 
 and the moment Balfe's talent burst upon the 
 town, it was assailed by the most unwarrantable 
 attacks. Persons callingthemselves musical judges 
 were loud in their assertions that every note of 
 ' The Siege of Eochelle ' was stolen from Eicci's 
 Opera of ' Chiara di Rosenberg ; ' and it was not 
 until this last-named composition was produced 
 by the Italian Buffo Company, under the spirited 
 direction of Mr. Mitchell, that these self-consti- 
 
BALFB. 103 
 
 tuted judges tardily and reluctantly admitted that 
 there were not half a dozen bars in the two operas 
 that bore the slightest resemblance to each other." 
 
 As Mr. Bunn describes the event, it was proved 
 that hearing was believing. The old proverb that 
 "seeing is believing" did not prove true. The 
 two scores were on view on the counters of the 
 music-publishers for weeks, and advertisements 
 were inserted in the newspapers announcing that 
 fact. Many of those who had written disparagingly 
 of the wort came to see Eicci's book as it stood 
 side by side with Balfe's. Some came voluntarily, 
 others by special invitation. But they were all 
 slow to be convinced by the evidence of their eye- 
 sight. Both works were printed in musical cha- 
 racters, and it was not a sine qua non of a musical 
 critic's business in those days, that he should 
 understand the alphabet of the subject upon which 
 he was called upon to write learned and eloquent 
 disquisitions. 
 
 English musicians were at that time struggling 
 for encouragement. John Barnett's " Mountain 
 Sylph" had been produced, and had made itself 
 deservedly popular. Edward Loder had written 
 
104 BALFE. 
 
 his " Nouijaliad " abounding with melody and 
 musical contrivance. Each of these operas re- 
 produced the style which Sir Henry Bishop had 
 made popular. In the first " The Magic-wove 
 Scarf" was an earnest and successful attempt to 
 introduce the dramatic element into an opera in a 
 more serious style than had been hitherto 
 attempted by English composers. Balfe's music 
 went further than either composer had as yet ven- 
 tured in the region of dramatic expression. All 
 the concerted pieces in " The Siege of Eochelle " 
 seem to grow out of the situations and exactly to 
 express them, as well as to intensify them. The 
 orchestra had work to do which required attention 
 and could not be " simplified " or " guessed at." 
 The Overture actually contained phrases of canonic 
 imitation, and was written in that modification of 
 Sonata-form which had already begun to mate it- 
 self distinguished in the Overture and was counted 
 as a development. In every place there was a respect 
 for the demands of form. The melodies were such 
 as the listener delighted in, and the singer loved 
 to execute. The harmonies were rich and new. 
 In short Balfe had shown in his ''Siege of 
 
BALFE. 105 
 
 Eochelle" that he had made a distinct artistic 
 advance, and had set a pattern which might be 
 expanded and extended by all who had the power 
 and the will to advance the claims of English 
 musical practical science. The public hailed his 
 ■efforts with delight. Musicians trembled at his 
 innovations and daring ideas, and tried to make 
 themselves believe that they were all wrong. They 
 copied his patterns however, and flourished on the 
 new knowledge they had thus helped themselves to. 
 
 He was called the English Eossini, as a few 
 jears before Sir Henry Bishop had been distin- 
 guished by the title of the English Mozart. 
 
 Each deserved the compliment thus paid to 
 his genius, and Balfe in humble imitation of 
 the great Maestro after whom he was named, 
 determined like him to close his ears to envious 
 disparagement, to employ the gifts he possessed 
 honestly and fearlessly, to work steadily and 
 use his abilities in. the most earnest way, 
 tempered by the science he possessed, but careful 
 not to obtrude his learning so as to become 
 pedantic and to lose sight of the heavenly gift of 
 melody with which he had been so richly endowed. 
 
CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 1836—1838. 
 
 The facility with which Balfe was wont to produce 
 his work was astonishing. His readiness and 
 willingness to accommodate himself to circum- 
 stances, was one of the causes of his great 
 popularity with all those with whom he had to 
 deal. Like the " Merry Zingara," in one of his 
 own songs he had " a smile for all." 
 
 He could show by example how an artist should 
 sing or play a passage concerning the execution 
 of which there may have arisen a difficulty. He 
 could group a chorus in effective attitudes, he 
 could arrange the colours of the costumes so as to- 
 produce the like harmonious results to the eye as. 
 his music did to the ear. He could make peace- 
 between the stage manager and the carpenters 
 who could not or would not shift a scene so as to- 
 prevent the appearance of delay, and all with that 
 extraordinary tact that he seemed to have made- 
 
BALFE. 107 
 
 the persons chiefly concerned, the originators of 
 the thing he desired to see effected. 
 
 At the final rehearsal of " The Siege of Eochelle " 
 he observed that the concluding symphony of one 
 of the numbers gave the carpenters scarcely time 
 enough to shift the scene without an ugly pause. 
 He could not stop the rehearsal, but he made a 
 mental note of the matter, and told the master 
 carpenter that he would provide a remedy for the 
 defect. He left the theatre without having done 
 what he proposed. In reviewing his work the 
 man remembered the promise, and finding that 
 the copyist had not been supplied with the supple- 
 mentary piece of music, he rushed off to Balfe's 
 house and found him at dinner. 
 
 " A messenger from the theatre,^^ was sufficient 
 excuse for a few moments' absence from the room. 
 The sixteen bars were written and scored, and 
 Balfe took his place once more at his table. 
 
 " What did the man want ? " was the inquiry. 
 
 " He wanted sixteen bars to eke out that car- 
 penters' scene." 
 
 " Let him wait, and you can write them after 
 dinner." 
 
108 BALFE. 
 
 " They are done, and I daresay that Maplesoa 
 has the parts copied from the score by this 
 time." 
 
 In the evening everything passed off smoothly, 
 and Bunn not knowing how the matter had been 
 arranged, told the master carpenter that " he was 
 certain that those lazy fools could shift the scene 
 in time to the music if they only tried." 
 
 The success of " The Siege of Rochelle " made 
 Balfe the lion of the season. His name and his 
 melodies were in the mouths of every one. He was 
 engaged at concerts, and at private entertain- 
 ments of the nobility, and reaped a golden harvest. 
 Some of his early supporters continued their 
 friendship for him throughout life. The Duke of 
 Beaufort was pleased to show his appreciation of 
 Balfe in many ways. He invited him frequently to 
 dinner, and did much to make his genius known, 
 and to show his estimation of his personal cha- 
 racter. The Duke of Devonshire — to whom the 
 opera " Falstaff " was to be dedicated — was also 
 kind to the rising genius. On one occasion when 
 Balfe accompanied the singers at an Italian concert 
 which the Duke gave, he was presented with a 
 
BALFE. 109 
 
 rouleau of twenty-five sovereigns, his customary fee 
 being ten. 
 
 The memory of a former windfall revived the 
 desire for a like adventurous exercise, and he 
 started with a friend to Richmond where they 
 spent a happy day and a portion of the money so 
 unexpectedly earned. 
 
 On his return home he found another piece of 
 good fortune awaiting him, a packet from Bimn 
 enclosing a libretto he had written. This he com- 
 missioned Balfe to set for Malibran whom he had 
 engaged at the unusually large sum of £120 per 
 night. There was also a letter from Malibran 
 herself, announcing her arrival, and her desire 
 that he should redeem his promise and write an 
 opera for her during her engagement at Drury Lane,, 
 which she had come to London to fulfil. The opera 
 was completed and put in rehearsal. The title 
 selected was " The Maid of Artois." The subject 
 had been used before, but the treatment was all 
 new. The principal parts were represented by 
 Madame Malibran, Isoline ; Mr. Templeton, Jules 
 de Montagnon ; Signer Guibilei, Sans Eegret ; 
 Henry Phillips, the Marquis; Mr. Seguin, 
 
110 BALFB. 
 
 Synnelet. Bunn paid Balfe, as before, five guineas 
 a night for the acting right. 
 
 In this opera occurs the famous air " The light 
 of other days," in the symphonies of which Balfe 
 introduced the cornet-4-pistons for the first time 
 into the orchestra, under the name of " cornetta." 
 Malibran's singing and acting was marvellous in 
 its effects ; consequently her success as Isoline was 
 astonishing, the opera was most attractive and 
 profitable. The receipts for the first sixteen 
 nights were £5,690, an astonishing sum, but 
 only a little less than the profit realized by the 
 publisher for one of the songs, "The light of 
 other days." 
 
 The " Eondo finale/' "With rapture dwelling," 
 which became so well known on the Continent as 
 to receive the title of " Balfe's air," was written 
 as an afterthought. Balfe had great knowledge 
 and experience of stage effect, and as the 
 rehearsals proceeded, he became more and more 
 ■convinced that the " number " written originally 
 for the Finale would fail and bring the opera to a 
 tame end. Malibran was convinced that the 
 contrary would be the case. " Tou will be wicked 
 
"'aS'-*.--*-' 
 
 MAViijUiBimAiif . 
 
BALFE. Ill 
 
 "to cut it out/' she said to the composer. "It is the 
 most bx'illiant piece in the opera." Balfe determined 
 to write a new air. With his body fatigued, and 
 his mind still active, he fell asleep when he 
 reached home, and waking suddenly after mid- 
 night, the theme presented itself almost unbidden, 
 certainly unwooed. It was written down and 
 scored before he went to rest. Early in the morn- 
 ing he went to the lodgings of the prima donna, 
 she was stiU in bed. Her husband De Beriot was 
 practising with his violin in the drawing-room. 
 With the enthusiasm which sympathetic musicians 
 feel for each other's works, De Beriot played the 
 voice part and Balfe accompanied upon the piano- 
 forte. Madame's bedchamber was too far distant 
 to enable her to hear and judge of the change. 
 She was unwilling to be disturbed. She was 
 content with the finale as it existed. At De 
 Beriot's suggestion, however, they carried the 
 small piano into her room, and played the new 
 finale over. At first annoyed, then amused at the 
 behaviour of the "two maniacs," she heard, 
 listlessly, then eagerly, then finally embraced 
 Balfe, and promised to learn the scena in time to 
 
112 BALFB. 
 
 sing it at the final rehearsal that morning, which 
 she did, and roused the hand, the chorus, her 
 fellow-artists, and others who were present, into* 
 a state of excitement by her quickness and daring,, 
 which was expressed hy a spontaneous burst of 
 applause, a foreshadowing of what occurred at 
 night. The first performance was given on the 
 27th of May, 1836, seven months after the pro- 
 duction of "The Siege of Eochelle," and once 
 more was Balfe's name everywhere spoken of with 
 praise. 
 
 Bunn in his amusing and pleasantly egotistical 
 memoirs tells an anecdote about Malibran in Con-, 
 nection with this opera which may be repeated as 
 showing the interest she took in the work, and of 
 her anxiety to do the best she could for the com- 
 poser. 
 
 " She had borne along the two first acts on the 
 first night of performance in such a glow of 
 triumph that she was bent, by some almost super- 
 human effort, to continue its glory to the final fall 
 of the curtain. I went into her dressing-room, 
 previous to her commencement of the third act, to< 
 ask how she felt, and she replied — 
 
BALFE. 113 
 
 "'Very tired; but' — and her eye suddenly 
 lighted up — ' you angry devil, if you will contrive 
 to get me a pint of porter into the desert scene, 
 you shall have an encore to your finale.' 
 
 " Had I been dealing with any other performer, 
 I should perhaps have hesitated in complying with 
 a request that might have been dangerous in its 
 application at the moment; but to check Mali- 
 bran's powers was to annihilate them. I there- 
 fore arranged that behind the pillar of drifted 
 sand, on which she falls in a state of exhaustion 
 towards the close of the desert scene, a small 
 aperture should be made in the stage ; and it is a 
 fact that underneath the stage, through that 
 aperture, a pewter pint of porter was conveyed to 
 the parched lips of this rare child of song, which 
 so revived her, after the terrible exertion the scene 
 led to, that she electrified the audience, and had 
 strength to repeat the charm with the finale. The 
 novelty of the circumstance so tickled her fancy, 
 and the draught itself was so extremely refreshing, 
 that it was arranged during the subsequent run 
 of the opera for the negro slave at the head of the 
 governor's procession, to have in the gourd 
 
114 BALFE. 
 
 suspended at his neck the same quantity of the 
 same beverage, to be applied to her lips on his 
 first beholding the unhappy Isoline." 
 
 Whether this was really the true version of the 
 story, or whether the story was true at all matters 
 not now to inquire, the opera was successful, and 
 the exertions of the prima donna helped to secure 
 the enthusiastic reception of the work, and a wide- 
 spread favour for the Finale. 
 
 The libretto was considerably inferior to that of 
 the former opera by Fitzball, and Balfe seems to 
 have cared more for the smoothness of the rhythm 
 of his own musical cadences than to pay attention 
 to the words of Bunn. He evidently did not 
 regard as any hindrance to his work the false 
 quantities of Bunn's verses, though at the time 
 he fitted music to certain of the words he must 
 have winced at the incorrect accents. He did 
 certainly object to one song which spoke of " The 
 moon o'er the mountain " when the action was 
 supposed to take place by day. Bunn accommo- 
 datingly altered it to " the sun," but Balfe never 
 fancied the song he had written to words whose 
 sentiment was not violated by' so easy a change. 
 
BALFE. 115 
 
 •and it was omitted after the first representation 
 for it made no effect. 
 
 In the duet for Jnles and Sans Eegret in which 
 the latter in his desire to enlist a recruit, cun- 
 ningly offers money to the sorrowing, weary, and 
 hungry hero, a portion of the words run thus : — 
 
 " Jules. — My heart's with anguish wasted, 
 Sans E. — Fresh hearts this will supply ; 
 JtiLES. — My lips have nothing tasted. 
 Sans E. — 'Twill wine the brightest bny, 
 And caf& in plenty are nigh." 
 
 Bunn's poem requires the word caffe to be in 
 ■one syllable only, and Balfe has so set it, and has 
 further shown his contempt for Bunn's inspiration 
 by making the first two words of the last line in 
 anapaestic metre. He also places an accent on 
 the second syllable of the word " plenty." Despite 
 the tethers which hindered a high flight, the music 
 is good in all points required, that is to say in 
 dramatic effect, fitness for the voices engaged and 
 brightness of scoring. Balfe fully maintained his 
 reputation in this opera and increased his popu- 
 larity. The manager's confidence in his powers 
 enlarged with the approval of the public, and he 
 ..selected a libretto by George Linley upon a sub- 
 
116 BALM. 
 
 ject taken from English history and entitled' 
 " Catherine Grey," which was produced on the an- 
 nirersary of the day which had witnessed the 
 triumph of " The Maid of Artois/' namely on the 
 27th May, 1837. Madame Malibran was no longer 
 able to help her friend Balfe by her incomparable 
 talents. She had died a sad and terrible death, 
 worn out by overwork and excitement in the 
 September of 1836. She had fulfilled her promise 
 to sing in one of Balfe's operas, and it was in one 
 only, " The Maid of Artois," the first and the last 
 original English opera she sang in Lond,on. 
 
 Tbe cast of "Catherine Grey" included Miss 
 Homer, who was considered to be the English Mali- 
 bran, and Mrs. Wood (Miss Paton), the former play- 
 ing Elizabeth and the latter Catherine. The natural 
 dispositions and artistic qualifications of each were 
 such as would have made a change of characters 
 the better for the singers and for the opera. Balfe 
 played the part of Lord Hertford at the request of 
 the manager, who had noted how successfully his 
 efforts proved with the public when one evening 
 he performed Michael in " The Siege of Eochelle " 
 when Phillips was absent from illness. It was on- 
 
BALFB. 117 
 
 this occasion that Thackeray being in Planche's 
 box saw Balfe for the first time and made a 
 characteristic sketch of him which was copied and 
 printed in the " Recollections." 
 
 " Catherine Grey " had much charming music, 
 but yet it did not keep the stage for any length 
 of time. The rondo written for "The Siege of 
 Eoehelle " was introduced, and, as Balfe felt when 
 he wrote it, did not make all the effect a finale 
 should. Moreover the run was interrupted by the 
 illness of King William, which made all theatrical 
 business dull. The King died on the 20th of 
 June. At the end of June an English version of 
 " Norma," by Planchfe, was placed upon the stage 
 of Drury Lane with Madame Schroeder Devrient 
 as the priestess. She sang her part in the language 
 she was best used to ; " not a single word of Eng- 
 lish did she ever attempt to utter throughout the 
 performance." This also was soon withdrawn. 
 Bunn had, however, another glorious attraction 
 " for his dear patrons the public." This was an 
 adaptation of Fletcher's fine play of " Bonduca," 
 also made by Planche. This was produced under 
 the title of " Caractacus." For this Balfe wrote a 
 
118 BALFE. 
 
 Chorus of Bards, wldch was the only thing in the- 
 play which was applauded, the house being filled 
 at " half-price " the time the chorus occurred, by 
 ail audience who left the theatre as soon as the en- 
 core had been complied with. 
 
 With his usual hyperbole, Bunn, trusting to the- 
 attraction of a magnificent procession, had adver- 
 tised the play as a " blaze of triumph," but the 
 people did not come to the theatre to bask in its 
 brilliancy. 
 
 Still ever ready to produce novelty, Bunn placed 
 a new opera by Balfe upon the stage with un- 
 paralleled magnificence. This was "Joan of 
 Arc," the words by Edward Fitzball. In it Balfe 
 aimed at a loftier and more ambitious style of 
 composition than that which he had attempted in 
 " Catherine Grey." The words were more poetical,. 
 and the " situations " more striking and dramatic. 
 The critics were just in their recognition of its 
 merits, and sanguine as to its success, but it was 
 "too high above the heads of the public, and 
 they did not care to crane their necks in a posi- 
 tion uncomfortable to themselves to admire beau- 
 ties beyond their comprehensioi;." That there 
 
BALFE. 119 
 
 were beauties in the opera may be boldly asserted, 
 and the fact that some of the songs, namely, 
 "The Purple Corn Flower "and "The Peace of 
 the Valley," with " cornetta " obbligato, and 
 "Dear maid, when thou art sleeping," with violin 
 obbligato, are known to this day. The characters 
 were performed by Miss Eomer, Mrs. Anderson, 
 Miss Poole, Messrs. Guibilei, Seguin, Templeton, 
 and Balfe. The scenery was painted by Grieve 
 and his two sons. 
 
 The real cause of the want of interest propor- 
 tionate to its merit which the public took in 
 Balfe's opera may be referred to the production a 
 few weeks before of a play on the same subject 
 at Covent Garden Theatre, then under the manaige- 
 ment of Macready. The edge had been taken off 
 the appetite of the public, and the opera which 
 was earliest begun, and latest to be brought out 
 was presumed to be an afterthought arising out of 
 the success of the earliest produced. There was 
 nothing in common between the play and the 
 opera except the title. The opera was published 
 and dedicated to Queen Victoria. 
 
 At Covent Garden also, the opera, " Amilie, or 
 
120 BALFE. 
 
 the Love Test," by Balfe's early instructor Eooke, 
 was winning great favour. It was said to have 
 been completed while Balfe was yet his pupil, and 
 that he had waited patiently for nearly twenty 
 years to gain a hearing for his work. 
 
 Balfe's chief occupation in his leisure hours at this 
 time was the composition of another new opera 
 with words by Eitzball. It was announced as an 
 " opera buffa " entitled " Diadeste," and was pro- 
 duced on the 17th May, 1838. The performers were 
 Miss Romer,Miss Fanny Healy, Miss Poole, Messrs. 
 Templeton, Guibilei, and Henry Phillips. The 
 composer had a brilliant reception from the au- 
 dience, and when during the run of the opera 
 Phillips was taken ill and could not sing, or had 
 taken some other engagement and sung elsewhere, 
 the ever-ready Balfe, not to stop the opera in 
 its career of success, played the part of Count 
 Steno so well that Bunn was inclined to cancel the 
 engagement of the original exponent of the part. 
 
 Balfe had been happy enough to have made a 
 distinguished name among his countrymen as a 
 singer and composer of English opera. He had 
 entered so thoroughly into the spirit of the thing 
 
BALFE. 121 
 
 that lie had created a new style, to describe which 
 a new adjectire to the English tongue had been 
 added. He had shown his facility and variety of 
 resources, his originality and power, by the pro- 
 duction of three new operas in the space of one 
 year. His fame had spread beyond the walls of 
 Drury Lane, and he was now invited by M. La- 
 porte to write an opera for Her Majesty's Theatre, 
 then one of the most important houses for Italian 
 opera in the world. 
 
 From this time Balfe gradually gave up singing 
 in public to devote his time to composition. The 
 public lost in one respect to gain greatly in another. 
 Malibran, Grisi, Tamburini, and Lablache were 
 wont to say that they found always much to admire, 
 and not a few hints were to be gained in and 
 from Balfe's singing. Eubini, who was considered 
 the greatest male singer of this time, always said 
 that " he must take off his hat to Balfe as his 
 superior." As his health was never strong, and as 
 his music was well received, he cultivated the 
 more enduring art, and so he preferred the per- 
 suit which was of greater service to the public. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 1838—1841. 
 
 On the moming after the first performance of 
 "Diadeste" Balfe received the libretto of an 
 Italian opei'a by Manfredo Maggione, founded 
 upon Shakespeare's " Merry Wives of Windsor,"^ 
 and entitled " Falstaff." The chief parts were 
 to be undertaken by Grisi, Persian!, Albertazzi^ 
 Eubini, Tamburini, and Lablache, artists for ever 
 memorable in the annals of operatic art. The 
 opera was actually conceived, written, and pro- 
 duced within the short space of two months. If 
 this had represented the sole work of the period 
 no astonishment need be expressed. But Balfe 
 possessed a power of concentration, a faculty for 
 work, and an untiring industry rarely found in. 
 one man. He seemed to be always busy with 
 various engagements, but still he found time for 
 composition. He was much sought after as a 
 singer, as a player, and as a teacher. All the 
 time left him for composition was during the " wee 
 
BALFE. 12S 
 
 short hours ayont the twal," Night after night 
 did he labour at his work quietly and earnestly, 
 making time when he seemed to have filled up 
 every hour. Thus it was that the new Italian 
 opera was produced. It was " the first opera 
 written for that establishment by a native composer 
 since the ' Olympiade ' of Arne." " Falstaff " was 
 produced under the direction of Laporte at Her 
 Majesty's Theatre on the 19th July, 1838, and 
 achieved a most brilliant success. The invention,, 
 the fancy, and the air of jioetry which surrounded 
 and pervaded the whole conception charmed 
 every one. The performers were all well disposed 
 towards the composer, and exerted themselves 
 cordially. The music suited their powers. " They 
 were fitted," as Lablache the Falstaff said, 
 " like gloves. The elegance of the manufacture 
 had concealed the natural defects of the hands 
 they covered." The trio, "Vorrei Parlar," sung 
 by Grisi, Albertazzi, and Caremoli (for Persiani 
 did not sing in the opera), was encored three 
 times, and although it was written more than 
 forty years ago, and was "only destined to- 
 please the ears of a thoughtless audience, fasci-^ 
 
124 BALFE. 
 
 nated by the success of the young composer, 
 so long as the three graces — Albertazzi, Caremoli, 
 and Grisi — could combine to sing it," it still finds 
 its way into programmes, and still delights the 
 public ear. The melody, " mia gioia," spread 
 like wildfire, but fell " like balm upon the wearied 
 senses," and is not even now forgotten. Personal 
 influence can have little now to do with such con- 
 tinued popularity, for singers and composers have 
 all passed into " the land of the blest." It must 
 therefore be due to the worth of the music and 
 the genius of the composer that it is still 
 remembered in this " age of succeeding 
 iime." Laporte was right when he invited 
 Balfe to write an opera for the great quartett, 
 Grisi, Eubini, Tamburini, and Lablache. His 
 keen judgment and knowledge of men, his readi- 
 ness and willingness to provide his subscribers and 
 the public with the sort of entertainment well 
 calculated to please, and his desire to advance the 
 interests of art, were all exhibited in his selection 
 of Balfe as a composer, albeit he was an English 
 composer. 
 
 Rossini had laid down his pen, and had de- 
 
BALFE. 125 
 
 clared his intention of writing no more until tte 
 " Jews had finished their Sahbath," a phrase whose 
 obscurity of meaning cannot be penetrated even 
 now. Its purport is fully understood, for Eossini's 
 pen was at rest. Balfe had been called the Eng- 
 lish Rossini over and over again, less because he 
 wrote in the style of that great master than be- 
 cause of his aptitude in " finding out musical 
 tunes " that fell pleasantly upon the ear and 
 awakened sympathetic feelings in the heart. 
 
 Laporte could not get Eossini, so he secured 
 Balfe. 
 
 Troubles were already shadowing over th& 
 manager of the Italian Opera, and prevented him 
 fulfilling his intention of inviting Balfe to make a 
 second venture in the classic region of foreign art. 
 
 The time was not allowed to pass idly by. 
 
 Song after song was poured forth from the same 
 inexhaustible stream from whence the greater 
 tributaries of opera had flowed, and popularity and 
 success were following and surrounding the gifted 
 and genial musician. His house in Conduit Street 
 was the scene of many a brilliant reunion of 
 artists and amateurs, Eossini's " Stabat Mater " 
 
126 BAI,FE. 
 
 "being among the many new works that were first 
 heard in Balfe's house in 1841. 
 
 He continued his engagement as a member of 
 the Drury Lane Company, but it was Bonn's last 
 season for the present. His extravagant ventures 
 had brought him no lasting profit, and he was 
 at his final resource. He knew that English 
 opera had brought him most gain, so he con- 
 cluded that opera in English might reillumine 
 the " blaze of triumph." With this ob- 
 ject in view he engaged Henry Rowley Bishop 
 as conductor,and brought out Mozart's "Don Juan" 
 with Balfe as the hero, and Madame Albertazzi, 
 Miss Betts, Miss Poole, and Henry Phillips in the 
 other parts. Unfortunately for Bunn, the season 
 came to an untimely end. He had educated the 
 people to expect spectacle on the grandest scale in 
 all his productions. There was no reason, and no 
 possibility of, introducing any in "Don Juan," so 
 he adopted an entirely opposite plan. The mise 
 en scene was poor in the extreme, and notwith- 
 standing his fine band, and excellent vocal com- 
 pany, the theatre was empty, and Bunn retired 
 -with a loss of more than £25,000. 
 
BALFE. 127 
 
 Balfe now, free from all ties of engagements, 
 l)umed to revisit his native land. He was pre- 
 paring to start for Dublin on a journey of plea- 
 sure, when good fortune once more presented itself 
 in a form calculated to mate the journey pleasant 
 ,as one of business. This was an offer of an en- 
 gagement as chief baritone to the company 
 formed by Mr. and Mrs. Wood at the request of 
 Mr. Calcraft, then manager of the Theatre Eoyal 
 in Dublin. The engagement was accepted, and 
 Balfe started with a light heart and high spirits 
 for the land he had left some sixteen years before. 
 Since then what changes had occurred. Would 
 iis mother be glad to welcome her son ? He had 
 kept his word, and was returning not unheralded 
 by fame. Would his countrymen remember the 
 poor little fiddler who had delighted them with 
 his performance on an instrument as big as him- 
 self ? 
 
 His welcome was as hearty as he could wish. 
 It was just such as he would have accorded had 
 the conditions been reversed. 
 
 A public dinner was given to him at Morison's 
 Hotel on the 26th of December, 1838, and a tes- 
 
128 BALFE. 
 
 timonial in the form of a beautiful gold snuff-box, 
 "To the composer of 'The Siege of Eochelle' 
 and ' The Maid of Artois.' " 
 
 During his stay in Dublin Balfe was admitted to 
 the mysteries and privileges of ancient free and 
 accepted masons, a special meeting of the brethren 
 of JN'o. 8 Lodge having been called together for 
 the purpose on the 3rd of October, 1838. 
 
 In the following year Mr. Calcraft pro- 
 duced "The Siege of Eochelle," "The Maid 
 of Artois," and " Diadeste," with Adelaide 
 Kemble as prima donna. Balfe organised a tour, 
 and produced " Diadeste " in several of the 
 county towns, Limerick and Galway among 
 others. 
 
 Accustomed to the greatest theatres in Europe, 
 he was a little " taken aback " at the condition 
 of some of the country temples of Thespis and 
 their stage appointments. Thus at the Old Theatre 
 at the Quay at Limerick, when the performers 
 assembled for the night's representation, the roof 
 was in so dilapidated a state that the audience in 
 the pit had to put up their umbrellas to keep the 
 rain off. The orchestra, led by Levey, Balfe's old 
 
BALFE. 129 
 
 friend and fellow-pupil, had to play while pro- 
 tected by like contrivances. The stage, fortu- 
 nately for the comfort of the singers, was in better 
 condition. The performance was welcomed with 
 the heartiest applause. The audience remained 
 enchanted despite the inconvenience they suffered. 
 Balfe, when telling the story, was wont to declare 
 that it was the first and only alfresco representa- 
 tion he had given in his life, and he felt prompted 
 to substitute certain words in his well-known 
 beautiful duet, so as to make it sing thus : — 
 
 Diadeeto, cbarming maid, 
 
 Sing beneath th' ambrella's shade. 
 
 The tour in Ireland was profitable to the mana- 
 gers, and it was in pondering over the results of 
 the adventure that Balfe unadvisedly determined 
 to try that line of business on his own account. 
 
CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 1841. 
 
 Since the production of "Diadeste" Balfe had 
 written no opera. Rooke had produced his 
 "Henrique, or the Lore Pilgrim/' in May, 1839, 
 while Balfe was away in Dublin, and when he re- 
 turned he heard that the brothers Barnett had 
 arranged a scheme for the production of English 
 opera at the Prince's, now called the St. James's 
 Theatre. This venture was commenced on the 1st 
 December, 1840, with Prank Eomer's opera, " Pri- 
 dolin," and ended on the 8th of the same month. 
 The failure did not deter the enthusiastic Balfe 
 from pursuing the scheme he had cherished in his 
 heart. He arranged to take the English Opera 
 House, and was happy in being supported, as was 
 said, by a goodly list of subscribers, at the head of 
 which was the Queen, the Prince Albert, and 
 many of the nobility. His company was small, 
 but in every way efficient. If everybody was to 
 
BALPE. 131 
 
 he trusted, and would behave as loyally as the new 
 manager intended to do, success must follow. 
 His name stood well with the public, and he had 
 prepared a new opera, " Keolanthe," which had 
 been written by his old friend and coUeag-ue Fitz- 
 ball. Upon this opera he had bestowed a greater 
 amount of care and attention than he had ever 
 yet spent upon any work since " Atala," which 
 was lost. 
 
 The book was perfectly original, and inspired 
 the composer with " thoughts meet and deeds be- 
 coming." 
 
 The plot, also the invention of Fitzball, may be 
 thus told. A student of Padua, Andrea, about to be 
 married to the sister of his friend, Filippo Pavia, 
 contemplating the beauty of the lotus flower, of 
 which he has been reading, is transported in 
 imagination to the shores of ancient Egypt, and 
 beholds Keolanthe, an Egyptian princess, who is 
 protected and endowed with magical gifts by the 
 deities of the Nile. Every tie is forgotten in this 
 insane love ; he is the means of causing terrible 
 catastrophes by his employment of the magic lotus 
 flower, and when his crimes can no longer accu- 
 
132 BALFE. 
 
 mulate in horror, te awakes to find all a dreamy, 
 and the bridal party filling his room to welcome' 
 him upon his wedding morning. 
 
 The greater part of the music of the opera was 
 written hj Balfe when on a tour in the west of 
 England during the months of April, May, and 
 part of June, 1840. He seemed fascinated with 
 the hook which Titzball had written, and at 
 every possible opportunity he resumed his labours 
 upon a theme which was agreeable to him. 
 
 The poet and the musician were in perfect 
 sympathy in this instance. 
 
 Fitzball calls the opera "one of my dream- 
 revels with imagination — a flight across golden 
 deserts with the Queen of Fancy." 
 
 In speaking further of the work, and the circum- 
 stances under which it was written, he says : — 
 " ' Keolanthe ' is unquestionably the best of Balfe 's 
 operas, that is to say his finest original conception,, 
 and advances nearer to the stars." Keolanthe, the 
 heroine, was played by Madame Balfe. Of her 
 performance Fitzball tells us "that the dignity of 
 the princess was nothing lost in her ; the splen- 
 dour of her voice, the richness of her attire, the- 
 
BALFE. 133 
 
 tfinenesSj the grandeur of her acting (she was a 
 great actress, realizing to my imagination all that 
 I had heard related of Clairon), the supernatural 
 manner which she assumed, took every one hy sur- 
 prise, while her deep-thought conception of the 
 part seemed to set every one thinking. . . Wilson, 
 a fine tenor, was the student Andreo, Sfcretton and 
 H. Phillips, Filippo and Ombrastro, and Miss 
 Gould, Pavina. The opera cost, in the getting up 
 with its exquisite costumes and scenery, much 
 more than a thousand pounds ; it certainly had a 
 tremendous reception ; the stage covered over 
 with wreaths of flowers, among which stood 
 Madame Balfe, like Iris, with her offerings of 
 garland lotuses at her feet." 
 
 The opera was announced for the 4th of 
 March, 1841, but was postponed because of the 
 absence of Phillips, who had made an engagement 
 to sing that day in Dublin without saying any- 
 thing about it until the last moment. On the 9th 
 "the opera was produced, and made a hit. The 
 music was acknowledged to be in Balfe's happiest 
 vein. It was also admitted to be original, and 
 iree from imitation of the style of any particular 
 
134 BALFE. 
 
 school. It was, in fact, thoroughly " Balfean." 
 It ran for two months, and its successful career 
 was brought to an end by the disloyalty of the 
 artists. On the 18th of May Phillips failed to- 
 make his appearance in the theatre, and offered 
 no explanation. He does not allude to the circum- 
 stance in his "Musical and Personal EecoUec- 
 tions," nor, in fact, say much about the whole 
 business in his book. Mr. John Barnett withdrew 
 his pupil. Miss Gould, and Balfe, in an apologetic 
 speech to the audience, explained how he had 
 been abandoned by those on whom he counted for 
 support. 
 
 So ended the great and enthusiastic design of 
 founding a national English opera. In this 
 great notion Balfe was before his time, and more- 
 over he was not the right sort of man to under- 
 take such a scheme. He thought to create a 
 national opera by inviting all the known English 
 opera writers to compose works, and thus to show 
 the public that there were as good musicians 
 among the natives of the country worthy of 
 support as the foreigner, upon whom was lavished- 
 all the praise, and who also obtained the greater 
 
BALFE. 135 
 
 share of recognition. Barnett, Eooke, Lover, and 
 Macfarren were invited to co-operate. Lover liad 
 ■written a comic operetta called " Paddy Whack in 
 Italia," which Balfe produced. Macfarren had 
 been invited by Balfe to compose an opera on the 
 subject of " Don Quixote." This was placed in 
 rehearsal, and would have been brought out but 
 for the untimely end of the scheme. Five years 
 later Balfe, knowing the excellent qualities of 
 the work, recommended it for production at Drury 
 Lane, which recommendation was accepted, and 
 the opera was performed successfully. Barnett 
 was said " to be thinking about his opera," and 
 Benedict had actually commenced his " Brides of 
 Venice." This also was brought out later at Drury 
 Lane. 
 
 It could not, therefore, be said that Balfe had 
 . any selfish motive in endeavouring to start the 
 enterprise. On the contrary, his conduct in the 
 whole matter was most self-denying. He refused 
 300 guineas offered by Madame Yestris for the 
 production of " Keolanthe " at the Olympic, and 
 he lost more than a thousand pounds besides, 
 which had been expended in trying to fill the^ 
 
136 BALFE. 
 
 whirlpool maw of a theatre. He had risked his 
 popularity with the profession, and he had lost 
 his health. Even under these trying circumstances 
 he preserved his good humoar, remaining then as 
 he was always, genial, bright, and sunny. The 
 chagrin he suffered induced him to turn his back 
 upon London, and to confine his publications to a 
 few detached pieces of the sort which the pub- 
 lishers were always ready to take. These costing 
 his genius no effort, and being very useful in re- 
 plenishing a weakened purse, he was wont to 
 call " pot-boilers," a term which to this day is 
 employed by his successors for the like kind of 
 productions. 
 
 He longed to find some theme more worthy of 
 his efforts than the production of songs, albeit 
 the public gladly received these instalments of his 
 talents. It was therefore with no little ardour 
 that he started for Paris as soon as he could get 
 free, upon the invitation of Madame Grisi, who 
 was anxious to appear in another opera by Balfe, 
 for which she proposed to provide the libretto. 
 She — the reigning queen of the operatic world — ■ 
 -could command, and managers were willing to 
 
BALFE. 137 
 
 - obey. The memory of "Falstaff " was pleasant. She 
 delighted in the music, and had selected the opera 
 to play at her benefit at Her Majesty's Theatre, and 
 had been the means of introducing many of its 
 morceaux to the concert-rooms of the Continent. 
 
 Arrived at Paris, one of his first calls was upon 
 Rossini. The maestro gave Balfe a hearty wel- 
 come. He had heard of the treatment he had ex- 
 perienced, and was very indignant at the lack of 
 appreciation which his countrymen had exhibited 
 towards him. He shook his fist in the air, and 
 said in the hearing of a friend when Balfe had 
 left, addressing an imaginary English audience in 
 his epigrammatic French — 
 
 " Vous etes des betes, des animaux. You have 
 got one of the greatest composers of the age, who 
 has poured forth his soul in melody for you, and 
 you would not have him. He deserved all honour ; 
 you have given him contempt. Cochons d" Anglais, 
 val" 
 
 " Keolanthe " was Balfe's best work at that 
 time, and was only surpassed in merit by the 
 "Knight of the Leopard," or "The Talisman," 
 wbich he left unfinished at his death. 
 
CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 1841—1843. 
 
 The title -which was selected for the proposed new 
 opera was " Elfrida," the author being Manfreda 
 Maggioni. Balfe made a series of sketches and 
 rough memoranda of the chief situations and 
 arias in the remarkably neat hand he wrote at 
 that period — the sketch-book is preserved — and 
 upon his arrival in Paris he set himself to work 
 with his customary zeal. The opera was nearly 
 completed, and he was in expectation of some 
 degree of success, especially in those parts of the 
 work which he had written to suit Madame Grisi's 
 voice. Preliminary paragraphs concerning the 
 opera were inserted in the musical papers, and 
 Balfe, "the Auber of England," another hew 
 title, was said to have come expressly to Paris to 
 superintend the rehearsals of his grand opera in 
 three acts, of which the chief parts were destined 
 for G-risi, Tamburini, and Mario, then engaged at 
 the Theatre Italien. 
 
BALFE. 139 
 
 The opera was not produced. By the time it 
 would be finished, and the arrangements of the 
 theatre would permit of its being placed upon the- 
 stage, Grisi would be unable to appear, and so 
 the cup of prosperity which was raised to the lips 
 of the expectant artist was dashed to the ground. 
 Balfe's good fortune seemed to have completely 
 deserted him. He kept a brave heart, however,. 
 though the situation was a sore trial to him. 
 
 His sensitive soul shrank from the contempla- 
 tion of the collapse into which his affairs appeared 
 to Lave fallen, but his brave spirit supported him 
 through the trialj and enabled him to keep his 
 sorrows to himself, and to preserve the same 
 bright and joyous demeanour which had earned 
 for him from his friend Titzball the name of 
 " Sunny Balfe." 
 
 It was with inward doubt and anguish but with 
 outward calmness that he called upon Erard and 
 disclosed the state of anxiety which troubled him. 
 
 Erard offered to lend his Salon to the composer,, 
 and suggested that he should give a concert, the 
 programme of which should be made up entirely 
 of his own music. 
 
140 BALFB. 
 
 Balfe was alarmed yet amused at the daring 
 proposition, feared lest he should provoke all sorts 
 of sarcastic comments upon his egotistical pre- 
 sumption, but all his objections were overruled, 
 by Erard, who said — " Much is already known of 
 your works here. I will invite the Manager of the 
 Opera Comique and other artists to hear your 
 music." The consequence was that a "Grand 
 Concert Balfe " was announced. Among the artists 
 "who " assisted " was George Alexander Osborne, 
 then resident in Paris. 
 
 The room was crowded with curious visitors 
 who had paid their money to be amused at the 
 performance. Balfe^s association with the artists 
 of Paris twelve years before had left him many 
 friends. He was able to ensure a very good re- 
 presentation of his works with the aid which was 
 voluntarily offered. Inspired by Balfe's geniality 
 and talent the artists strove to do their best, and 
 ■succeeded. Those who came to be amused at 
 the rashness of a man who had compounded a 
 programme of his own compositions, and that 
 man above all an Englishman, were disappointed 
 of the pleasure they had anticipated, and re- 
 
BALFE. 3 41 
 
 warded by another they did not expect to find.. 
 Piece after piece was encored with enthusiasm,. 
 and the gratified composer felt his heart swell 
 with pride as the most fastidious audience in 
 the world accepted his efPorts with signs of the 
 highest approTal. " His music was sparkling, 
 and flashed like a splendid brilliant that gives 
 out radiant colours from a thousand facets, and 
 astonishes and captivates by its beauty."* 
 
 His mind relieved of an oppressive weight, full 
 of gratitude to Erard and the good Parisians who 
 had so enthusiastically recognised his genius, the- 
 glooray clouds of anxiety dispersed from his mind 
 and sunshine once more reigning in his heart, his 
 face radiant with joy, he returned home to share his 
 happiness with his family. Wearied in body but 
 sprightly in mind, he threw himself upon a sof .i 
 prepared to answer any questions that might be 
 addressed to him, amused and delighted with the 
 gravity and consideration of his eldest daughter, 
 Gigia, as she directed the servant in her pretty 
 polyglot manner — 
 
 * "Sa musiqae est chatoyante, elle resplendit comme nua- 
 pierre fine et montre mille faoettes que fimerveillent efc 
 s^duisant." 
 
142 BALPE. 
 
 "Of papa les pantoufles bringen sie hier al- 
 I'istante." 
 
 The " Concert Balfe " had established his repu- 
 tation in Paris, and was further to be the means of 
 ■extending it not only in the French capital, but 
 throughout the Continent. 
 
 Early in the morning of the day following when 
 Balfe was seated at his breakfast " k I' Anglaise " 
 a mysterious visitor cloaked and carefully wrapped 
 up as though the winter had already appeared 
 was announced. He had refused to give his name, 
 but would not leave until he had seen Balfe, 
 
 " Vous etes Balfe, je suis Scribe, et je viens tous 
 demander de faire uu opera comique avec moi." 
 
 The announcement, so welcome, so unexpected, 
 caused a revulsion of feeling which made Balfe 
 literally tremble with excitement. He soon re- 
 covered himself, and accepted the proposal of the 
 dramatic writer with joy. Scribe confessed that 
 he was one among the many present at the invi- 
 tation of Erard to hear his music at the concert 
 of the day before. He was charmed with the exhi- 
 bition and versatility of Balfe's genius, and desired 
 to associate his name with that of the musician 
 
BALFE. 143 
 
 wtose works had given Mm so much real plea- 
 sure. 
 
 This unsolicited testimony to his abilities from 
 one whose fame was unequalled in the world of 
 art, whose industry was enormous, and whose 
 fertility was prodigious, was very gratifying to 
 Balfe. 
 
 A satisfactory arrangement was made, and 
 Balfe's spirits were elevated to a height corres- 
 ponding with the depth to which they had been 
 plunged a day or so before. After all he was to be 
 permitted to appeal to the judgment of the 
 Parisians in a form best suited to display his 
 powers. 
 
 The opera was called " Le Puits d' Amour " the 
 scenario or plot was sketched out at once, and 
 the libretto was sent piece by piece, either in the 
 handwriting of Scribe, or in that of M. de Saint- 
 Georges, his literary partner on this occasion. 
 
 Balfe remembered that Rossini, Boieldieu, 
 Adolphe Adam, Auber, Meyerbeer, Hal^vy, 
 'S.evold, Carafa, and his old master Cherubini had 
 all been indebted to Scribe for occasional literary 
 ielp, and with such an illustrious array before 
 
144 BALFE. 
 
 Mm, it was witli some diffidence that he entered 
 the ranks of the noble army of artists. If he- 
 could not rise by promotion to a higher position 
 than that which now presented itself, he would,- 
 at all events, strive to do his duty there, and 
 deserve an honourable name. 
 
 With the ardour and confidence of genius he 
 worked on, encouraged by his loving wife who- 
 kept from him all knowledge of the sarcastic 
 comments that were imported into the musicul 
 journals upon the announcement of the fact that 
 an English composer was engaged in writing an 
 opera for the Opera Coraique. 
 
 This pious concealment was easily made, for 
 Balfe was called away from Paris before the com- 
 pletion of his opera, to fulfil an engagement at 
 the Norwich festival in September of that year 
 (1842), and at other places in England. 
 
 His engagements being ended, he returned to 
 Paris and finished his opera. 
 
 It was produced on the 20th of April, 1843, at 
 the Opera Comique. The verdict of the public 
 was unanimously accorded in favour of the music 
 Madame Anna Thillon, then in all the pride of 
 
BALFE. 145 
 
 her youth and beauty, sang Greraldine's music so 
 that it was compared to " a fountain of pearls. " 
 The composer's genius was fully recognised. 
 Those who had been foremost in their unbelief 
 in his powers were the first to express their re- 
 cantation and their fall conversion. As a comfort 
 to their own consciences they remembered that he 
 had studied with Cherubini, that he had earned 
 his first honours as a singer and as a composer at 
 the Theatre Italien, they were therefore not un- 
 willing to assure themselves that he was all but a 
 Frenchman. He was distantly related by blood to 
 the common Celtic stock. He was more closely 
 allied by the ties of art. 
 
 Congratulations upon his success poured in on 
 all sides. Musicians, poets, critics and artists 
 were proud to know and to be known by him. 
 His acquaintance extended itself from the world 
 of art to the domain of politics and fashion, and 
 he even received encouragement and countenance 
 from the King Louis Philippe, the source and 
 spring of honour. The Xing was pleased to 
 accept the dedication of the published work, and 
 expressed his desire when further success was won 
 
 L 
 
146 BALFE. 
 
 from the public, to decorate him with the cordon 
 of the legion of honour. He could not then accept 
 this distinction as an Englishman, and so the King 
 presented him with a magnificent " gold medal " 
 struck especially for him. All these marks of re- 
 cognition were sweet to Balfe. Sweeter far was 
 the invitation from the director of the Op^ra 
 Comique to follow up the success of " Le. Puits 
 d' Amour" by the production of another opera, 
 which should be ready to take the stage when the 
 first began to pale in its popularity. This event 
 was apparently far distant. Nevertheless he com- 
 menced the new task with assiduity. The author 
 of his first French book, Scribe, was not ready 
 with another. He was gratified to know that he 
 had been the means of finding for his countrymen 
 a new pleasure, and enjoyed the success of Balfe 
 as much as the public. 
 
 The book upon which he was now engaged, was 
 founded upon an old French legend of "the time of 
 Charlemagne, was called " Les Quatre Fils 
 Aymon," and the authors were Messrs. de Leuwen 
 and Brunswick. 
 
 Before this was completed and produced, Balfe 
 
BALFE. 147 
 
 was called to London, where a new day of pros- 
 perity was dawning for him — a day whose rays 
 of sunshine were to cheer and enlighten ihe re- 
 mainder of his path through life, undimmed by 
 the passing clouds of adversity, vexation or 
 islight. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1843. 
 
 At the beginning of the year 1843, musical affairs- 
 in London were in a transitional s>tate. Public 
 attention had been drawn to the need of including 
 music in the course of elementary instruction in 
 schools, and the Committee of the Council of~ 
 Education encouraged Mr. John HuUah to arrange 
 classes, and to formulate a plan by which future- 
 schoolmasters should have the advantage of a 
 certain amount of regular training. Those already 
 engaged in teaching should also be permitted to 
 acquire the knowledge necessary to place them--, 
 selves on a level with their younger brethren. 
 
 The enthusiasm with which the subject was 
 taken up testified to the. eager desires of the people 
 to mate themselves more closely acquainted with 
 a subject for which they had already shown an, 
 earnest though unscientific predilection. 
 
 Prom this time forth music was no longer to be 
 a mystery whose culture was confined, to a few.. 
 
BALFE. 149 
 
 All who learned the rudiments of the art might 
 never hope to become composers. But they would 
 'he in possession of a nucleus of information which 
 should help them to enjoy with greater delight 
 the efforts of those who were. 
 
 Hullah's teaching created intelligent audiences. 
 Music, hitherto enjoyed for the mere sesthetical 
 pleasure it brought, was certain to be better 
 •appreciated so soon as the power was given to the 
 people to estimate correctly the talent required in 
 >the construction of the material. An acquaintance 
 with the difficulties involved certainly excited 
 respect for the artist who could successfully con- 
 quer those difficulties, and who by a right use of 
 art was able to conceal the art employed. No one 
 hailed this movement with greater delight than 
 Balfe. He saw in it the prospect of a realization 
 of the most earnestly cherished wish of his heart, 
 ;the establishment of a national opera. 
 
 It is true that genius like the poet is born, not 
 tmade, but it is equally true that the possession of 
 genius in the individual may be traced to the pre- 
 disposition for a certain subject in the family to 
 !which he belongs. There is no instance on record 
 
150 BALFE. 
 
 of a man attaining eminence in tte mnsical prO" 
 fession nnsupported by phe fact tEat the liking' 
 for the art was not congenital. The English' 
 have always been a music-loving people, they 
 vronld, in time, become music-producing, if music- 
 was encouraged as- an essential need of education. 
 Thus the first step towards the realization of this 
 great project, a national English opera, would be 
 gained. The cultivation of music among the 
 people would suggest the formation of a national 
 academy, upon a similar but broader basis than 
 that upon which the Eoyal Academy was founded- 
 This national academy would generate a race of 
 musicians, and it would become necessary in time, 
 to establish a theatre or opera house whereat and 
 wherein the efforts of native composers might be 
 tried before an appreciative jury of their country- 
 men. 
 
 Balfe thought when he started his ill-fated ven- 
 ture that he had the help of enough composers to 
 enable him to continue hi^ scheme. The only one' 
 who had foresight and wisdom enough to help and 
 actively to encourage it, was George" Alexander' 
 
BALPE. 151 
 
 Macfarren. The other composers of the period 
 gave only a half-hearted assistance. The time 
 for the recognition of English, art as an actuality- 
 was not come. 
 
 Balfe thought it had, and with his customary- 
 enthusiasm hastened to realize the end when the 
 beginning only was before him. His reasoning 
 was too sanguine. If in France such a thing as a 
 national opera can exist, why cannot wealthy 
 England support a like design ? 
 
 France had been prepared through a long course 
 of years, through all sorts of convulsions, to main- 
 tain an undertaking of the kind as a matter of 
 political economy. Some of its children made 
 music a profession. It was therefore necessary 
 that the means of instruction as well as an area 
 for practice should be provided. This done, France 
 has never lacked miisicians either executive or 
 creative. The genius exhibited by some has been 
 recognised beyond her own boundaries. The talents 
 of the many have not been despised, but have been 
 restricted to their original limit. The moral effect 
 of this has been most salutary. 
 
152 BALFE. 
 
 The honours of the Academy of France, and the 
 favours of the highest potentates were rewards to 
 which all might aspire. 
 
 In England there were no honours which might 
 be gained, except such empty titles as were open 
 to the full purse. A musician was only " a fiddler," 
 having no means of acquiring education under the 
 protection of the Government, possessed of no 
 social status by virtue of his profession, harassed 
 rather by prejudices against it, and condemned by 
 the State to be classed among " rogues, vagabonds, 
 and sturdy beggars." 
 
 Only a man of great genius, supported by 
 determined will and an ardent belief in the 
 humanising influence of the art he professed, could 
 ever hope to rise to superior rank, and that only in 
 the estimation of his countrymen, his sole reward. 
 The seed sown by this movement for a time might 
 grow among tares, but they would not destroy its 
 vitality, or lessen the abundance of the harvest in 
 good time. The provision of musical teaching, 
 and the ultimate elevation of native genius to the 
 position it ought to occupy, was undoubtedly due 
 to the lively interest and actual exertions of one 
 
BALPE. 153 
 
 •of the wisest princes of modern times, tlie late 
 Prince Consort. 
 
 He noted the great love for music which the 
 English nation possessed, and laid out a plan by 
 which that predisposition might be strengthened 
 by scientific knowledge. Skilled in the art and 
 practice of music himself, his large-heartedness 
 and broad-mindedness conceived a design which 
 should tend to the augmentation of the pure 
 pleasures of music, especially to those who can 
 recognise the skill employed in the inyention of 
 new combinations. 
 
 For Balfe as an acknowledged national com- 
 poser he always expressed the most lively interest. 
 He adnxired his genius greatly, and claimed 
 admiration for it from others. 
 
 If ever England takes proper rank among the 
 musical countries of the world, it will be due to 
 the forethought of this great prince in the project 
 for providing the means of musical instruction for 
 the masses. 
 
 Balfe heard of the progress of the movement 
 while he was yet abroad. He longed to have some 
 share in the work. With his customary alacrity 
 
1 54 BALFB. 
 
 he accepted an invitation to return to London, 
 and hastened thither to superintend the final 
 rehearsals of " Geraldine," the English version of 
 " Le Puits d' Amour/' by Gilbert a Beckett, at the 
 Princess's Theatre in the month of August. The 
 performers were Mdlle. Eugenie Garcia (a cousin 
 of Malibran), George Barker, H. R. Allen, and 
 Paul Bedford. He also undertook to write another 
 opera for Drury Lane, which theatre Bunn had 
 again taken undismayed by his former disastrous 
 experience. 
 
 The opera intended for Drury Lane was the- 
 world-famed "Bohemian Girl." The book had 
 been given to Balfe by Bunn in 1841, soon after 
 the production of " Keolanthe." A greater part 
 of the music had been written at the time, and 
 Balfe, finding subsequently little chance of its 
 being produced after the collapse of his great 
 national opera scheme, had taken some one or two 
 numbers of the music for his French opera. He 
 rewrote those portions which had been employed 
 there, and revised those that still remained. Like 
 most earnest and enthusiastic souls, he became 
 alive to the necessity of bestowing greater care 
 
BALFB. 155 
 
 upon his works in proportion as he felt that he 
 was attaining an eminence which exposed him 
 more completely to view than he had been before. 
 
 Impressed with this thought, he added and im- 
 proved the score of " The Siege of Eochelle " when 
 it was decided to open the theatre with that opera. 
 Every care was taken with the mise en scene, for 
 Bunn knew the value of an adequate mounting as 
 a factor of the sum of success. A splendid band 
 was engaged, and the services of Mr. — now Sir 
 Julius — Benedict were secured as conductor. The 
 success of the opening nights exceeded the most 
 sanguine expectations. After Balfe^s opera, an 
 English version, by Eitzball, of Donizetti's " La 
 Favorita," was presented, with Duprez in his 
 original part. " The Bohemian Girl " was " under- 
 lined," as it is called ; that is to say, mention was 
 made of the proposed production at the bottom of 
 the play-bill which contained the announcement 
 of the current performances. 
 
 The "libretto" of " The Bohemian Girl " was 
 founded upon the same story out of the " Novelas.' 
 Esemplares" of Cervantes which had furnished 
 Weber with his "Preciosa." This it is probable 
 
156 BALFE. 
 
 Bunn never knew until he was informed by soipe 
 of the press writers after the performance. He 
 ihad taken the idea from a ballet written by Saint 
 Georges, the literary collaborateur of Scribe in the 
 ■concoction of the book of "Le Puits d'Amour." 
 This ballet, entitled " La Gipsy/' in three acts and 
 five tableaux was produced in the Grand Opera in 
 Paris on the 28th of January, 1839. The music of 
 ihe first act was written by M. Benoist, that of 
 the second by Ambroise Thomas, and that of the 
 third by the Marquis Marliani. M. Gustavo 
 Chouquet, in his comprehensive, careful, and 
 interesting " Histoire de la Musique Dramatique," 
 Paris, 1873, says that " the second act, composed 
 ■of three tableaux, was afterwards given separately. 
 M. Thomas had been indebted to his memory of 
 Beethoven, Weber, Hummel, and Schubert for the 
 melodies of many of his themes, but had displayed 
 a master hand in the richness of the scoring." 
 
 Bunn proposed one or two titles for the opera. 
 That of " The Gipsy " was overruled, inasmuch as 
 it had already served as the distinction for an 
 unsuccessful transpontine drama. He then thought 
 ■of " Thaddeus of Warsaw," the name of that hero 
 
BALPB. 157 
 
 being taken by him from Miss Jane Porter's novel 
 "which was well known, and, to Bunn's mind, served 
 as a typical Polish name. The possibility of his- 
 opera being mistaken for an adaptation of the 
 popular novel caused him to change his mind., 
 " La Bohemienne " was next proposed. This was 
 rejected on the ground that it would be un- 
 becoming for an English opera to bear a French 
 title. Our native tongue not making any distinc- 
 tion of sex in words by a series of accommodating 
 modifications, such as are found in all other 
 European languages, was an obstacle which stood 
 in the way of " The Bohemian " as a title, 
 for this name might apply to creature of 
 the male sex, and the chief character was a girl. 
 Hence " The Bohemian Girl." Clumsy as this 
 title appears upon reflection, time and circum- 
 stances have proved it to be efELcient. The word 
 " Bohemian " has since become recognised aa 
 describing a being with a profound contempt for 
 the restraints of society, and one whose object in life 
 seems to be to live in a perpetual state of picnic in 
 a garret or like habitation. 
 
 "The Bohemian Girl" was produced on the 
 
158 BALFE. 
 
 27th of November, 1843. Miss Rainforth was 
 Arline, Miss Betts the Queen of the Gipsies, Mr. 
 Harrison, then rising into fame as a tenor singer, 
 was Thaddeus, Mr. Stretton, Devilshoof, Mr. 
 Borrani the Count, and Mr. Daruset, Florestein. 
 The lesser parts were represented by Mr. Howell, 
 Captain ; Mr. Binge, Officer ; Messrs. Birt and 
 Eidgway, the first and second Gipsies ; and the 
 Child in the first act was played by Miss Payne, 
 who afterwards became Mrs. Aynsley Cook. 
 
 The first night the audience seemed to be almost 
 mad with enthusiasm. The chorus "In the gipsy^s 
 life " was encored, " I dreamt that I dwelt in 
 marble halls " and " Then you'll remember me " 
 were twice repeated, and "The heart bowed 
 down " was also encored, and the singers secured 
 immortal fame. 
 
 Fitzball, who was present at the performance, 
 tells us that Bunn was exceedingly iU during the 
 rehearsals of this opera, but yet he gave his direc- 
 tions with a disregard of his bodily sufferings 
 which amounted to heroism. He further says that 
 the opera met with the most unqualified success. 
 The Messrs. Chappell gave Balfe £500 for the 
 
BALFB. 159 
 
 right of printing and publishing the songs, and 
 so great was the demand for copies of the several 
 ballads that they saw their way to the realization 
 of their outlay in a very short time. 
 
 It is a fact, however, that for a few nights after 
 the first the opera did not draw. The audiences 
 that came never slackened their enthusiasm, but it 
 was not until nearly a fortnight had passed that 
 anything like adequate houses rewarded the ven- 
 ture. In consequence of this Balfe left London 
 for Paris, where he had other business in hand, 
 and not long after the aspect of affairs completely 
 changed at Drury Lane. The houses, from being 
 indifferent, sometimes worse than indifferent, 
 became gradually fuller, till at last the crowded 
 state of the theatre which had always been con- 
 nected with Balfean opera began to show a 
 brilliant pecuniary as well as artistic success. 
 Thereupon Bunn wrote to Balfe to this purport : 
 " Come back to London. ' The Bohemian Girl ' is 
 a triumph. Houses crammed every night." And 
 so it went on till the hundredth night. 
 
 The success of the opera and its influence on 
 society were unparalleled. Everything was tinged 
 
160 BALPB. 
 
 with a gipsy complexion. How mucli and how 
 Httle was owing to the influence of " The Bohemian 
 Girl " may be readily nuderstood. Certain it is 
 that scores of songs relative to gipsy life were 
 issued from the press. NoTelists wrote stories in 
 which were revived the old worked-ap incidents, 
 connected with the wandering tribe. Readers 
 began to inquire for George Borrow's book on the 
 '"Zincali," which had been issued two years 
 before, and his publishers were encouraged to 
 produce a new book by him in consequence of the 
 success of the first ; and, in short, the town was 
 gipsy-mad. The popularity of "The Bohemian 
 Girl " did not cease with the run of the opera in 
 London. Standigl, the well-remembered bass, the 
 original representative, three years later, of the 
 chief part in Mendelssohn's oratorio " Elijah '^ 
 at Birmingham, produced it in a German 
 version, and so popular did it become in Ger- 
 many that it was played at three different 
 theatres in Vienna at the same time, and has 
 continued to hold a conspicuous place in the reper- 
 toires of German theatres under the title of " Die 
 Ziguenerinn" to the present day. As " La Zingara " 
 
BALFE. 161 
 
 it has been played in Italy and in London, and in 
 Paris, as " La Boli6mienne," it was placed on the 
 stage of the Theatre Lyrique with a score and 
 splendour undreamed of even by Bunn. 
 
 M 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1844—1846. 
 
 The remarkable fact that Balfe was the first, and 
 until the present day, the only English composer 
 who was invited to write for the French stage, 
 was further supplemented by another, namely that 
 his first essay completely satisfied the demands of 
 French taste. 
 
 Scribe, whose mysterious invitation was the com- 
 mencement of a long friendship, believed that a 
 prosperous career awaited Balfe in France. He 
 wrote for him a second book " Le Jour de Noel " 
 to help his belief become a tangible realization. 
 This opera, though nearly finished, was never pro- 
 duced, for reasons that will be set forth in due 
 time. 
 
 While "The Bohemian Girl" was continuing 
 to attract large audiences in London, " Le Puits 
 d' Amour " was no less attractive in Paris, or in 
 its Enghsh form as " Greraldine " in London, at 
 the Princess's Theatre. 
 
BALFE. 163 
 
 It was necessary that our composer should limit 
 the number of his engagements to sing at concerts 
 and elsewhere notwithstanding the tempting profits 
 his efforts brought, in order to be on the spot to 
 superintend the rehearsals of his new opera " Les 
 Quatre Fils Aymon " in Paris. Many and careful 
 were these rehearsals, and at last the opera was 
 brought out on the 15th of July, 1844. 
 
 The libretto was written by Messrs. de Leuwen 
 and Brunswick, and the principal soprano part was 
 intended for Madame AnnaThillon, who had made 
 so favourable an impression by her singing and 
 acting 'in "LesPuits d'Amour." 
 
 In this occurs the splendid bass song " Senti- 
 nelle" which at once struck the fancy of the 
 audience, established on a firmer basis the fame 
 of the composer, and attracted attention to the 
 character of the whole of the opera. The divine 
 light of melody which shone' in every bar was 
 augmented in the minds of the Parisian^critics by 
 the originality of the treatment throughout. 
 
 There was a little disappointment in Balfe's 
 heart when he found that he was not to have the 
 .services of Madame Anna Thillonin his opera, but 
 
164 BALPE. 
 
 he was somewhat consoled when he found that 
 Madame Stolz was named as the prima donna.. 
 This again was not to be. These changes delayed 
 the production of the work. 
 
 The cast as finally settled was a little -weak, 
 hut Balfe succeeded in winning commendation 
 from a Parisian audience a second time. The' 
 beauty of his music could be observed even 
 through the medium of an indifferent cast. The 
 prima donna was Madame Darcier, the tenor M. 
 Mocker, and M. Thermann was the bass. The 
 famous M. Chollet was also in the opera. 
 
 The French publishers issued full scores of the 
 two operas produced in Paris, and these with 
 "L'Etoile de Seville" were the only full scores 
 that were printed of the whole of Balfe's works,, 
 all the rest that were published were in the form 
 of pianoforte arrangements only. Musicians in 
 IVance and Germany took very kindly to these 
 works. In the latter country the " Liebesbrunnen," 
 and the "Vier Salmon's Kinder," are prime 
 favourites to this day. The design and execution, 
 of the latter work so pleased the German critics. 
 that they said — "Its melodies are sweet, and the 
 
BALFE. 165 
 
 •scoring masterly. Mozart might have signed 
 it." 
 
 In the month of November in the same year 
 (1844) " The Castle of Aymon,'" the English version 
 of " Les Quatre Fils," was played at the Princess's 
 Theatre successfully, though the cast was as weak 
 in proportion as the original French one. Miss 
 Condell an inexperienced debutante, Henry Allen, 
 Charles Horn, a son of Balfe's old master and friend, 
 and Adam Leffler, were entrusted with the parts. 
 
 Balfe had now given up his house in the Rue 
 Lafitte, in Paris, and had come to reside perma- 
 nently in London, at No. 19, Piccadilly, where he 
 was wont to reside during his temporary sojourn 
 in town. This dwelling he made noteworthy, as it 
 was there he wrote the greater part of his immortal 
 opera " The Bohemian Girl," and other works of 
 the period. 
 
 In the years 1843 and 1844 it has been showa 
 that Balfe was by no means idle. He was yet to 
 -crown this period of activity by the production of 
 another opera, his friend and colleague Alfred 
 Bunn supplying the book. Once again did Bunn 
 seek a French original as the theme for his work. 
 
166 BALFE. 
 
 he selected this time an opera which- Halevy had 
 set to music. Saint Georges again was the author 
 borrowed from, and the subject was " La Eeine- 
 de Chypre " which had been placed on the stage- 
 of the Grand Opera in Paris the 22nd of Decem- 
 ber, 1841. Btinn gave his new work the title of 
 " The Da,ughter of St. Mark,." and placed it on the 
 stage on the 27th of November, 1844. 
 
 The diction of his book was made the subject of 
 sarcastic attacks on the part of the comic press., 
 It was in many instances very absurd, it is true,. 
 and resembled the " monstre " which French 
 libretto writers were wont to offer to composers 
 who required a peculiar rhythm for which the- 
 poets were unprepared with ideas in conformity 
 with the subject treated. In several cases they 
 were the nonsense verses of the schoolboy with a 
 catch-phrase that served to illustrate the senti- 
 ment of the scene. Without any desire to con- 
 tinue or to revive the controversy excited — there 
 was a controversy on this ridiculous subject — it 
 must be said that Bunn never stayed for a rhyme 
 when he wanted one. If his rhymes were such as 
 could not possibly complete a sentence in a. distich. 
 
BALFE, 167 
 
 or quatrain he continiied the idea through half 
 the next line. In the "Bohemian Girl" among 
 other gems of expression we find — 
 
 When the fair land of Poland was ploughed by the hoof 
 
 Of the ruthless invader. When might 
 With steel to the bosom, and flame to the roof, 
 
 Completed her triumph o'er right. 
 
 His imagery was often incomprehensible, as for 
 example, that which is seen in one of his lines in 
 the same opera — 
 
 When hollow hearts shall wear a mask. 
 
 Other instances might be quoted were it worth 
 the trouble. Among other of his peculiarities was 
 that of inventing words to eke out his rhymes. 
 " Beweep " is a word that has not yet found its 
 way even into those English dictionaries the com- 
 pilers of which boast of having made ten thousand 
 additional words " as an attraction. Of like nature, 
 the directors of Vauxhall Gardens were wont in 
 the days of their waning prosperity to advertise " 
 an additional "ten thousand " with the difBerence 
 that it was " lamps " not words. 
 
 Those among the audience at the first night of 
 "The Daughter of St, Mark" who had seen 
 
168 BALFE. 
 
 Halevy's "La Eeine de Chypre," admitted that 
 Balfe had treated the subject with more success 
 than the original. The splendour of the mounting 
 the earnestness of the performers were praised in 
 terms corresponding. There is only one principal 
 female part in the opera, that of Caterina, and 
 this gave Miss Eainforth the best opportunity for 
 her powers. Mr. Harrison was the tenor (Adolph). 
 Mr. Weiss, who also made his first important ap- 
 pearance in London on this occasion, was selected 
 by Balfe for the part of Moncenigo, Mr. Borrani 
 was Andrea, and Mr. Burdini the King. This 
 was the first of Balfe's English operas in which 
 the whole of the action was expressed in music. 
 In the " Bohemian Girl " there was some dialogue 
 unset to recitative, " The Daughter of St. Mark " 
 was in the form of a " Grand Opera Seria " and 
 as such it was distinguished on the title page. 
 
 In reviewing the music at the present time, 
 forty years after it was written, the reader cannot 
 fail to be struck by the manly grip of the subject 
 which Balfe's treatment shows. The overture is 
 an announcement of the themes made use of in 
 the work, and is worthy for the brilliancy of the 
 
BAIiFE. 169 
 
 scoring. There is no noise for mere noise sake, 
 but the full orchestra is used in a way -which is 
 ■admirable for its power and pertinence. 
 
 With, increased opportunities Balfe exhibited 
 increased skill, a spontaneity and an apparent 
 freedom from effort, which many construed into 
 an absence of consideration for the importance 
 of the task undertaken. 
 
 There is no remplissage, no scamping of work, 
 and no mere use of the cut-and-dried designs of 
 •*'form" to save trouble. When a motive is in- 
 troduced a second time it is in such a newness 
 -of guise, as variety of key, or change of instru- 
 mentation can impart. 
 
 The melodies are, like all Balfe^s melodies, 
 legitimately vocal, and so natural that once 
 announced they suggest their own sequence. 
 'This sequence is often interrupted by the most 
 ingenious contrivances, necessary for the dramatic 
 situations, amply effective, and delightful for the 
 surprise they offer. Never rude or violent. 
 
 The concerted music is admirably written. 
 There is a trio for three voices which is in the 
 form of a canon in the unison, sufficiently scientific 
 
170 BALFB. 
 
 to win tlie hearts of the schoolmen, and sufficiently 
 melodious to charm the ear of the ordinary listener. 
 The whole work justifies its title as a " Grand 
 Opera Seria." Some of the melodies are well 
 known apart from the work in its integrity. 
 " There is Sunlight in heaven," " The Gondolier/' 
 " When all araund our path," and " We may be 
 happy yet," among others. The fascinating 
 phrases of this last song will perhaps never fail in 
 their attraction. It is stated that the melody as 
 it now stands was an afterthought. At the last 
 rehearsals the original melody to the same words 
 was found to be unsuitable for Harrison's voice. 
 The knowledge of stage effect which had before- 
 time prompted Balfe to substitute a fresh finale 
 for that which he had written for his " Maid of 
 Artois," told hiin that the song would " go for 
 nothing " as it stood. Harrison also felt this 
 though he did not trouble the composer with the 
 expression of his thoughts, as the melody pleased 
 him. He was therefore not unprepared for a 
 change when Hayward St. Leger, Balfe's faithful 
 satellite, roused him at his lodgings in Margaret 
 Street, Cavendish Square, just as he was retiring 
 
BALFB. 171 
 
 to bed late at night with the announcement " We 
 may be happy yet." Divining the full meaning 
 which those mysterious words implied^ Harrison 
 closed his window, hastily dressed himself, and let 
 the welcome messenger in. They tried the song 
 together, and such an impression did it make upon 
 the singer's mind, that it was sung over and over 
 again " waking the echoes with a strain they were 
 destined to repeat, Heaven knows how often." 
 
 A. fortnight before the production of " The 
 Daughter of St. Mark," namely, on the 13th of 
 November, the " Bohemian Girl " reached its 
 hundredth night. In those days long runs were 
 exceptional, and such an event was unprecedented. 
 The occasion was marked by an interesting cere- 
 mony. A testimonial to the composer was decided 
 upon. A committee was formed of which Sir 
 Henry Webbe^ Bart., was president, and Mr. St. 
 Leger secretary. The subscriptions amounted to 
 several hundred pounds, and a very handsome ser- 
 vice of plate was made, which was presented to Balfe 
 on the stage at Drury Lane on the 6th of Decem- 
 ber, the evening of his benefit. Alfred Bunn, who 
 claimed the honour of introducing his works to- 
 
172 BAI,FB. 
 
 the public, now introduced the composer to 
 receive the substantial evidence of his popularity. 
 
 Gratified beyond expression at this recognition 
 of his services in the cause of the public, Balfe 
 regarded it as a hopeful sign of the ultimate 
 realization of his great dream of a national 
 opera. It was therefore with a light heart and in 
 a happy frame of mind he went back to Paris to 
 tread, as he thought, the path of success already 
 opened to him. He little knew how or in what 
 manner that path was to be closed to him for one 
 more immediately tempting, a path remarkable 
 not only in his own life but in the history of 
 music. 
 
 With the industry and energy characteristic of 
 him, Balfe was working at two operas at this time 
 both intended for production in Paris. Only one 
 ■of the two, " L'Etoile de Seville," was placed upon 
 the stage there. The other, " The Enchantress/' 
 was to be brought out at Drury Lane, after an 
 English version by Bunn. 
 
 The book of " L'Etoile de Seville " was written 
 by Hippolite Lucas, his idea being taken from 
 " La Estrella de Sevilla," of Lope de Vega. 
 
BALFB. 17S 
 
 Balfe regarded the eommission to write this. 
 work, which he received from the directors of the 
 G-rand Opera, as marking one of the most im^ 
 portant eras in his life. Not because it was ad- 
 Tantageous to him in a financial sense, but because 
 it showed how highly English music, as represented 
 bj him, was esteemed. No other English com- 
 poser had been so favoured before, and subsequent 
 time has told how that none had been held of 
 sufficient importance for acknowledgment beyond 
 their own immediate sphere of action. 
 
 For an English musician to be recognised as 
 worthy to rank among the native composers of 
 France, and to have his original works produced 
 at such temples of art as the Opera Comique and 
 the Grand Opera, was no mean compliment. To 
 be admitted to the boards of the Grand Opera was 
 an honour undreamed of by any but native 
 composers. It is not unusual for directors to 
 make room for the famous masters whose 
 success elsewhere awakens a curiosity to hear 
 their music through the medium of a French 
 translation. It was somewhat out of the ordi- 
 nary course to invite the representative musician. 
 
1 74 BALFE, 
 
 of a nation said to be unmusical, to furnish the 
 ^tage with an opera for which they supplied 
 the book. It meant no Tery great advantage to 
 the composer, for it could not make his work 
 better. It signified a confidence in his power and 
 a desire to admit him to the dignity of a place 
 among those found worthy of being enrolled in 
 "the ranks of great musicians. The Grand Opera 
 in Paris was the fount of honour and dignity, and 
 the invitation an avowal of Balfe's worth and 
 merit. 
 
 Already his music had enshrined itself in the 
 hearts of his own countrymen. Germany had 
 tried his qualifications by the test of science and 
 invention, and had warmly approved his efforts. 
 Prance, the first foreign land to admit his 
 originality as was shown in the matter of the 
 additions to " Zingarelli," now placed the crown of 
 laurel on his brow by inviting him to contribute 
 a work for the repertoire of what was regarded as 
 the greatest lyrical theatre in the world. 
 
 Balfe sold the score of " Le Puits d' Amour " to 
 Bernard Latte for 12,000 francs. This large sum 
 paid to an English composer, represented not only 
 
BALEB. 175 
 
 ■enterprise but a considerable amount of courage 
 on the part of the French publisher when it is 
 held in view that the press had ridiculed the idea 
 of an Englishman writing an opera for the French 
 stage, and that Auber usually received only 
 15,000 francs for his operas. The amount paid to 
 BaKe for " Les Quatre Fils Aymon " was 12,000, 
 but for " L'Etoile de Seville " he obtained 15,000, 
 with 250 francs per night for each work for 
 author's rights. 
 
 It was because he appreciated the honour offered 
 to English art in his person that he went to his 
 task with characteristic energy. The opera 
 " L'Etoile de Seville," performed by Madame 
 Stolz, Mdlle. Nau, M. Paulin, M. Menghis, Bre- 
 mond, Gardoni, and Barroilhet, was given for 
 iwenty successive nights from the 17th of Decem- 
 ber, 1845. Contemporary criticism thus speaks 
 of the work : — 
 
 "All the artists exerted themselves to the 
 utmost, and displayed ^s much zeal for a native of 
 Great Britain as they would have done for one of 
 their compatriots. At the conclusion M. Balfe 
 and M. Lucas were called for. After one hearing 
 
176 BALPE. 
 
 only of the work inclination leads us to place 
 ' L'Etoile de Seville ' higher in the scale of musical 
 merit than the ' Quatre Fils Aymon/ which was. 
 produced at the Opera Comique in 1844." 
 
 While " L'Etoile " was still running, Balfe re- 
 turned to London, and was present at the first 
 performance of Macfarren's fine opera "Don 
 Quixote" at Drury Lane, the theme of which he 
 had suggested. His visit had, however, an- 
 other ohject. It was to sign an engagement 
 with Mr. Lumley as conductor of the opera at 
 Her Majesty's Theatre in the place of Signor 
 Costa, who had accepted the conductorship of the 
 Philharmonic Society. The performances of the 
 opera and those for the Philharmonic were attended 
 by the same orchestra. Some misunderstanding 
 arose about the arrangements for rehearsals, which 
 led to the secession of Costa. Balfe had received 
 the invitation to proceed to London while the re- 
 hearsals of his opera "L'Etoile" were going on in 
 Paris. 
 
 In the peculiar position of affairs at Her 
 Majesty's Theatre some decided action was neces- 
 sary. The conductor who was to succeed Costa 
 
BALFE. 177 
 
 must be one whose position would secure respect 
 for his appointment. After some consideration it 
 was decided to invite one of three — Spohr, Meyer- 
 beer, and Balfe, the last for preference. 
 
 Lumley succeeded in inducing Balfe to apply 
 for a few days leave to go to London from Paris to 
 hear a proposition which would be, it was said, to 
 his advantage. 
 
 It was ultimately settled that Balfe should be 
 conductor of the Italian Opera for the season of 
 1846. His first desire before accepting the 
 appointment was to consult his friend Costa. 
 Tliis did not accord with the views of the com- 
 mittee, and Balfe was asked to hold the matter a 
 secret from all, in case it should militate against 
 the success of the forthcoming season. 
 
 The position offered was an important one. He 
 therefore accepted the engagement, signed the 
 pledge to that effect, and returned to Paris, 
 There was no need to invite either Spohr or Mey- 
 erbeer. There might be a question as to the 
 popularity of these famous composers when the 
 British public was called upon to recognise 
 either as conductor of Her Majesty's Theatre, 
 
178 BALIE. 
 
 but there could be none about Balfe, who was fully 
 established in the esteem and affection of the 
 public, as he was at that time at the height of his 
 popularity. 
 
 Balfe was loyal to his pledge not to divulge 
 anything connected with the engagement he had 
 made. This placed him in a very awkward posi- 
 tion with regard to Paris. He was compelled to 
 leave his "Jour de Noel" unfinished^ and to 
 break off all his engagements^ without being able 
 to assign a satisfactory reason. The cause was 
 explained when the prospectus for the season of 
 1846 was issued by Mr. Lumley. 
 
CHAPTER XY. 
 
 1846—1848. 
 
 Her Majesty's Theatre opened on Tuesday, the 
 3rd of March, 1846, with Verdi's opera "Nino" 
 (Nabucco) for the first time in England. A con- 
 temporary notice thus refers to the event : " The 
 perfect satisfaction expressed by the brilliant and 
 crowded audience on Saturday night may be taken 
 as a fiat of approbation from the tribunal to 
 which the munificent lessee looks for support. 
 Were we a gazette of fashion we could occupy 
 half a dozen columns with a list of the noble, 
 wealthy, and otherwise distinguished personages 
 who presided on the occasion ; but as we are 
 simply a journal of music and the drama, our 
 readers must tax their imagination to picture 
 a scene such as only the London Italian 
 Opera can present — a scene to which the frestige 
 of high rank, the pomp of aflluent citizenship, the 
 j)ride of literary and artistic distinction, and the 
 -absorbing influence of female beauty, lend a glow 
 
1 80 BALFB. 
 
 of splendour, an intensity of excitement, and a; 
 variety of interest unparalleled elsewhere. There- 
 were matters also connected with the first night 
 of the present season that had been the subject of 
 zealous discussion for weeks previously. Signor 
 Costa, the late admirable director of the orchestra, 
 had resigned his situation and was to be succeeded 
 by Mr. Balfe, a dramatic composer of European 
 fame. The popularity of Signer Costa both with 
 the hahitues of the opera and with his orchestra 
 
 was very great When Mr. Balfe 
 
 made his appearance, he was received with three 
 spontaneous, enthusiastic, and unanimous cheers,. 
 which at once set at rest all anxiety on the 
 matter — and the sequel established his com- 
 petency for the important post he occupies beyond 
 all possibility of dispute." 
 
 A somewhat severe review of Yerdi^s opera 
 follows, the gist of which is contained in the 
 sentence " Serious criticism would be thrown 
 away on such a work." Great care was taken 
 with the mounting, and praise is accorded to Mr._ 
 liumley for having modified the ancient opera 
 regime in this respect. " The orchestra under Mr.. 
 
BALFE. 181 
 
 "Balfe was admirable, so well pleased were the 
 audience that at the end of the opera Mr. Lumley 
 was loudly called for from all parts of the house. 
 -Afterwards the same honour was conferred upon 
 Mr. Balfe, who was brought forward by Mr. 
 Lumley, and received with flattering demonstra- 
 tions of approval." 
 
 So far all went well, and the season passed off 
 brilliantly. At Her Majesty's Balfe signed an en- 
 ■ gagement with Lumley lor three years, and when 
 the house closed, started off for a holiday in 
 Vienna, where his opera, "Die Vier Haimon's 
 Kinder " (Les Quatre Fils Aymon) was being 
 played. He took with him the book of a new opera, 
 founded, as it was said, on Halevy's " Mousque- 
 taires de la Eeine," and intended for the debut of 
 -Mrs. Bishop at Drury Lane in the month of Sep- 
 tember. He heard his operas, " The Siege of Ko- 
 chelle " and " The Bohemian Girl," at the Opera 
 House in Vienna. 
 
 Later in the year it was reported in the public 
 iprints that Jenny Lind, whose brilliant gifts and 
 : accomplishments were the theme of admiring 
 Kjomment in musical circles, had accepted an 
 
182 BALFE. 
 
 engagement at tlie Summer Theatre of Vienna 
 to sing in those operas, as well as in the " Enchan- 
 tress " and "The Daughter of St. Mark." The 
 Parisians and the Viennese were as enthusiastic- 
 for Balfe's music as his own countrymen had- 
 been. 
 
 Meantime, rumours of the proposed establish- 
 ment of a second opera speculation at Covent 
 Garden were gaining form and substance, and a 
 semi-ofBcial announcement in the Morning 
 Chronicle made the world acquainted with the fact 
 that an engagement had been made with Costa,. 
 who was to have full powers of control over all 
 the artists engaged for the proposed scheme. The- 
 majority of the members of the band of Her Ma- 
 jesty's Theatre had signed with Costa, and Lumley 
 had lost the chiefs of his band and the best of his- 
 artists. 
 
 Before the season of 1847 commenced, Balfe 
 had a most responsible task. The majority of 
 the fine band of 1846 had transferred their ser- 
 vices to Covent Garden Theatre. Balfe had to 
 organize an entirely new orchestra of his own.. 
 He accomplished this difiicult undertaking with 
 
BALFE. 183 
 
 complete success, as was stown by tlie perform- 
 ance of " La FaTorita " on the opening night of 
 the season of 1847 (16th February). On this oc- 
 casion Gardoni, the popular tenor from the Grand 
 Opera of Paris, made his first appearance. The 
 orchestra was admirable, the triumph was great. 
 
 When all the Philharmonic orchestra left 
 Sterndale Bennett, because Mr. Gye decided to 
 give operas on Mondays, Bennett engaged the 
 orchestra of Eer Majesty's Theatre, which Balfe 
 had trained, and was more than satisfied with 
 their efficiency and obedience. 
 
 As a conductor Balfe was second to none. A 
 singer himself, he knew how to accompany singers. 
 He could cover defects, and increase good 
 qualities, by a manner in which Jenny Liud was 
 wont to say no other conductor possessed. His 
 friend and fellow-pupil, R. M. Levey, in his excel- 
 lent " Annals of the Theatre Royal, Dublin," thus 
 describes his powers in this direcbion : — 
 
 " Several eminent composers have failed in 
 wielding the conductor's baton, but Balfe pos- 
 sessed all the qualities — great decision, ' an eye to 
 threaten and command,' a faultless ear, ready to 
 
184 BALFE. 
 
 discover the slightest inaccuracy, and, above all, 
 an intelligible and decisive beat, witbont whicb all 
 tbe otber attributes are as nothing; indeed, none 
 but the initiated can have an idea of the import- 
 ance of the movements of the ' small white wand' 
 to those whom it is intended to guide. Much mis- 
 chief may be done by a moment's distraction on 
 the part of the holder. He may be compared to a 
 skilled ' whip.' He has not only four, but per- 
 haps forty, yea, one hundred ' in hand,' and even a 
 temporary indecision may do much harm. Per- 
 haps no other occupation demands greater ' strain ' 
 of brain or steadiness uf hand for the time being 
 than that of an operatic conductor. And, as re- 
 marked above, many of the greatest composers, 
 from lack of the peculiar talent, have been obliged 
 to ' pass the torch ' (b§,ton) to another for the con- 
 duct of their own works. Balfe was ' all there.' 
 Every man under his iurisdiction knew what he 
 meant, and at what part of the bar he might be, so 
 that all went well." 
 
 The Italian season of 1846 ended, and there was 
 silence if not rest. Lumley was quietly energetic 
 in one way, and Balfe's old friend Bunn in another. 
 
BAI,FE. 185 
 
 Each, it appears, was working at the same design, 
 that of inducing Jenny Lind, then making a 
 furore on the Continent, to accept an engagement 
 in London. She actually did pledge herself to 
 serve Bunn, and promised to appear at Drury 
 Lane. By this engagement Bunn hoped to make 
 his " blaze of triumph " more sparkling than 
 ever. He had paid Malibran £120 a night ; he 
 offered Jenny Lind ten pounds a night more. His 
 •courage was sublime. His theatre was limited in 
 its capacities, the prices of admission were com- 
 paratively small, and he knew that any attempt to 
 augment them would be strenuously resisted by 
 the public. Continued success alone could reward 
 him for his enterprise. This he hoped to secure by 
 the production of novelty after novelty in breath- 
 less succession until he found a means of satisfy- 
 ing the public by the offer of something which 
 should be sufficiently solid and lasting to enable 
 him to pause, rest, and profit by the enjoyment of 
 the fare he placed before them. Bunn wished 
 Balfe to write an opera for Jenny Lind as he had 
 -done for Malibran, Jenny Lind did not sing for 
 Bunn, and Lumley paid forfeit to the extent of 
 
186 BALPE. 
 
 £2,500 to secure her services at Her Majesty's 
 Theatre, and the opera was never written. It waa 
 part of Balfe's original agreement with Lumlej 
 that he should not produce any new work of hi& 
 own at Her Majesty's Theatre while he held the 
 baton during the season. There was no limit or 
 restriction to what he jiiight be inclined to do 
 elsewhere, or at another time. The enjoyment of 
 an income which was definite and regular gaye 
 him hopes of devoting more time to composition. 
 His operas were not always a source of large 
 profit to him at that time. In most cases they 
 depended upon the run for a certain number of 
 nights. If, as Bunn might say, "coldness or 
 deceit should slight the beauties now they prize,, 
 or deem it but a faded light " that burned in'the 
 works produced, the chances of remuneration 
 were attenuated proportionately. Balfe was never- 
 mercenary in any business transaction. He ac- 
 cepted the market value which was placed upon 
 his works by the publishers, and did not care to 
 load himself with the reproaches of conscience by 
 driving a hard or an unfair bargain with any one^ 
 Liberal to a fault in all his dealings, he was apt to- 
 
BALFE. 187 
 
 believe that others met him on a like ground. He 
 thus lived joyously, and experienced that happy 
 mental tranquillity which was an essential condi- 
 tion to the production of his works^ and a necessity 
 of his mode of existence. A mean-minded man 
 could never have written, much less have con- 
 ceived, his melodies. 
 
 He appreciated to the full the liberality and en- 
 terprise of Bunn, and although as a man of 
 culture and of cosmopolitan tastes he must have 
 been aware of his weakness as a poet, he con- 
 tinued faithful to him as a collaiorateur. He 
 knew that if he could not always write poetically, 
 he could suggest a poetical thought. Moreover 
 he was clever at inventing situations effective on 
 the stage, and favourable to the designs of the- 
 composer. 
 
 The opera now to be produced was " The Bond- 
 man," adapted from the romance by the elder 
 Dumas, " Le Chevalier St. George." The libretto 
 in this case had an origin more immediately rela- 
 tive to the stage in a piece written by Mr. de St^ 
 Georges. 
 
 Before this was given, the theatre had been? 
 
188 BALFE. 
 
 opened for the season of 1846 on the 3rd of 
 ■October (the genial and accomplished Signer 
 Schira as conductor) with "The Crusaders" of 
 Benedict, to be replaced on the 8th by "The 
 Maid of Artois," Madame Anna Bishop appear- 
 ing as Isolina; the other parts of the opera 
 were sustained by Miss Rebecca Isaacs (her 
 first appearance), Mr. Burdini, Mr. Borrani, Mr. 
 Weiss, and Mr. Harrison. For this represen- 
 tation Balfe had written a new tenor song, " For 
 thee, and only thee ;" a new ballad, "0 what a 
 charm it is to dwell ;" a new coda to the duet, "O 
 leave me not thus lonely," and also revised the in- 
 strumentation . 
 
 Madame Bishop's singing was greatly admired 
 by the critics, and the opera was given about 
 thirty times during the season. It was alter- 
 nated with the " Bohemian Girl," and then was 
 replaced by an opera by Mr. Lavenu, " Loretta, a 
 "tale of Seville," which, after running for some 
 five-and-twenty nights, was withdrawn in favour 
 of "The Bondman." The 11th of December was 
 the opening night, and the opera was considered 
 the greatest of Balfe's productions at that time. 
 
BALFE. ISO' 
 
 " It is written with more care, and is altogether 
 more the work of an artist than any opera we re- 
 member from his pen. The finale to the second 
 act is exceedingly fine, and leaves nothing to be 
 desired. Any musician might be proud of having 
 written this splendid morceau. Among the pieces- 
 we would especially notice are a most delicious 
 ballad in the first act, ' It is not form, it is not 
 face,' admirably suited to Miss Homer's voice, and 
 well sung ; a very characteristic buffo song, 
 'There is nothing so perplexing,' given to perfec- 
 tion by Weiss ; and a romance in act third, ' Love 
 in language,' as likely to become highly popular. 
 The principal vocalists, including Miss Eomer, 
 Messrs. Weiss, Harrison, Harley, and Rafter, ac- 
 quitted themselves exceedingly well, and merited 
 the applause they received. Mr. Balfe was called 
 for at the end of the second act, and when the 
 curtain fell. He was cheered from every part of 
 the house. We may confidently and conscien- 
 tiously state that the opera of ' The Bondman ' is 
 a work of unusual excellence." Balfe conducted 
 his opera the first night. Signer Schira gracefully 
 yielding his right for the occasion. In addition 
 
190 BALFE. 
 
 io the pieces mentioned by the contemporary 
 critic there are others which the musician of the 
 present, examining the work without being in- 
 fluenced by the prejudices of the time, finds ex- 
 cellent. The hunting choruses, for example, and 
 the unaccompanied quartett, " There is a des- 
 tiny," are admirably written. The melody, 
 ^' Child of the Sun,^' the key melody of the opera, 
 running throughout like a golden thread in the 
 fabric, is also charming in its phrases and dra- 
 matic in its design. This melody is employed 
 with the most consummate art. It not only orna- 
 ments, but binds together, as it were, and gives 
 meaning to all the rest of the music in the opera. 
 It is a prophecy of the leit-motiv of Wagner, but 
 it is differently used. It has often been said by 
 thoughtful and wise musicians that the man who 
 invented the leit-motiv deserved well not only of 
 his own nation but of the whole musical world. 
 This honour may be claimed for Balfe. In aU 
 his operas, from the very earliest among his 
 productions, his predilection for this form of 
 utterance may be traced. In " The Bondman " it 
 
BALFB. 191 
 
 found amplest expression. The whole of the opera 
 is beautifully designed. The orchestration is 
 written with unusual care, and the effects of 
 sonority and colour are actually well studied and 
 thoughtfully contrived, while they seem to be 
 nothing more nor less than the outcome of an 
 exuberant fancy. The overture, like most of 
 Balfe's preludes, was a pot-pourri of airs in the 
 work, but there was this difference, that the 
 opening bars were treated in canonic form, and 
 with the phrases initiated by different qualities 
 of tone in the orchestra. 
 
 The opera drew large houses. The dramatic in- 
 terest of the situations was superior to most of 
 Bunn's productions, and strange to say, that 
 although there are some very curious expressions 
 to be culled here and there from the book of 
 words, such as " iracity, rapacity, voracity," and 
 others which Bunn invented, there are some lines 
 of genuine poetry which no man need have been 
 ashamed of. 
 
 Balfe's music further shows the most consum- 
 mate dramatic power, genuine grip and verve in 
 
192 BALPB. 
 
 its phrases, and the existence of the true visr 
 comica which few among musicians possessed, or 
 were able to express so happily as he. 
 
 His next work, an operetta, " The Devil's In It," 
 was written for Miss Eomer and Mr. Harrison for 
 a short season of operatic performances, under- 
 taken in the spring of the year 1847 at the Surrey- 
 Theatre. The subject, originally Spanish, was 
 translated into French, and then rendered into 
 English by Charles CofPey in the early part of the- 
 18th century, under the title of " The Deril to 
 Pay." Scribe translated this farce, and Auber set 
 it to music as " La Part du Diable." Balf e altered 
 the title afterwards to " Letty the Basket Maker."' 
 This little work, and the opera, " The Maid of 
 Honour " — words by Fitzball — produced by Jullien 
 at Covent Garden Theatre during the time he was 
 lessee, are the only other works of importance 
 which Balf e wrote in 1847. "The Maid of 
 Honour," the same subject as Flotow's " Martha," 
 had for principal artists Miss Birch, Miss Miran, 
 Mr. Weiss, and Mr. Sims Eeeves, for whom the 
 tenor part was written, and who made an enor- 
 mous hit with the ballad, " In this old chair," one- 
 
BALFE. 193 
 
 of the most touching and poetical of all the ballads 
 of Balfe. The sympathetic and tender voice of 
 our great tenor found its way direct to the hearts 
 of the hearers. By an oversight on the part of 
 Mr. Forester (Alfred Crowquill), who was one of 
 the managers of Covent Garden Theatre at that 
 time, the customary license from the Lord Cham- 
 berlain had not been taken out for the book. This 
 was not discovered until a letter from Mr. John 
 M. Kemble, the licenser of plays, was received on 
 the morning of the performance. The license was 
 obtained only a few minutes before the doors of 
 the theatre were to be opened. 
 
 The minds of all concerned were relieved, and 
 the opera was given, the public knowing nothing 
 of the business which had well-nigh deprived 
 them of the pleasure they greatly enjoyed. 
 
 Sims Beeves, as before said, made a great hit 
 with the ballad, "In this old chair," and the com- 
 poser and author of the libretto were called for at 
 the end of the performance. 
 
 Eitzball states in his chatty book, " Thirty-five 
 Tears of a Dramatic Author's Life," that Balfe 
 
 o 
 
194 BALFE. 
 
 always considered "The Maid of Honour" his 
 most finished production. 
 
 The immortal author of '^PendenniSj" William 
 Makepeace Thackeray, who was passionately fond 
 of Balfe's music, was present at this performance. 
 He was wont to say that the song, " The heart 
 bowed down," in the " Bohemian Girl," was a 
 tragedy in itself, and the sentiment expressed in 
 the lovely ballad, " In this old chair," in " The 
 Maid of Honour," drew tears from his heart as 
 well as his eyes. 
 
 Balfe wrote no new operas for London for a 
 long period. After " The Maid of Honour," his 
 published contributions appear to be limited to a 
 few songs to English and Italian words, the latter 
 including some scenas written for Jenny Lind 
 and Gardoni for the concert tours in 1847 and 
 1848. In the last-named year he paid a second 
 visit to Dublin, this time as conductor for Mr. 
 Lamley. How Jenny Lind disappointed Bunn, 
 and engaged with Lumley, how the town suffered 
 from Jenny Lind fever, when that charming per- 
 son and gifted artist appeared, are matters which 
 belong to another department of biography. It 
 
BALFE. 195 
 
 •will be enough to say that Balfe was conductor of 
 the opera at Her Majesty's during the whole period 
 of the engagement of the transcendent prima 
 donna. 
 
 His power of infusing his own spirit and verve 
 into the performance by his singers and the band 
 made him one of the best among conductors. His 
 care, knowledge, and intelligence enabled him 
 often to impart a reading to a work superior to 
 that which the composer produced when he 
 directed his own work. This was the case with 
 " Masnadieri," brought out in the second season 
 of his engagement at the opera as conductor, 
 Verdi had been invited by Lumley to direct the 
 opera. He made so poor a hand of it that a 
 fiasco seemed imminent. Balfe, at the desire of 
 Verdi, resumed the baton the second night. As 
 much success as the work was able to win 
 followed, and was gratefully acknowledged by 
 the composer. The success he could get for an 
 author he also gained for a manager. Balfe tided 
 over the difficulties caused by the changes in the 
 personnel of the orchestra in 1847, which now 
 included Piatti, Lavigne, and Anglois in its 
 
196 BALFE. 
 
 ranks, and helped to produce that series of operas; 
 in wMch Jenny Lind carried all London captive- 
 by her siren strains. 
 
 In the season of 1848 Sophie Cruvelli joined 
 the company at Her Majesty's, and among other 
 operas sang in " Le Nozze di Figaro " with Jenny 
 Lind. The result of the experiment proved her to- 
 be possessed of fine dramatic talent, and it en- 
 couraged her to undertake the more serious role of 
 " Fidelio" in Beethoven's great opera, produced twO' 
 years later for the first time on the Italian stage. 
 Eecitatives were written by Balfe to the " dia- 
 logues " in this masterpiece with so much wit and 
 skill that it is difficult to tell where Beethoven 
 ends or Balfe begins. Not only did Balfe strive 
 to reproduce the chords employed by the great 
 genius whose work he was called upon to adapt^, 
 but he also invested his additions with a poetical 
 character. When certain ideas or thoughts are 
 foreshadowed or referred to, Balfe introduced sug- 
 gestions of the melodies or themes in which. 
 Beethoven had conveyed his thoughts. In Leo- 
 nora's dialogue may be traced the motive of the 
 " Invocation to Hope," and in Eocco's that of the 
 
BALPE. 197 
 
 -" Gold Song." Balfe had done this sort of thing 
 frequently in his own operas, but had called forth 
 no discriminating comment from musicians. The 
 name and purpose of the leit-motiv was not re- 
 cognised in musical art in those days. The device 
 of associating a particular phrase or passage with 
 a particular incident or personage was well known 
 to musicians who wrote. The musicians who 
 judged recognised the value of such an employ- 
 anent of ideas, but they did not find a name for it 
 among the permitted definitions of the Critical 
 Art. 
 
CHAPTBE XVI. 
 
 1848—1852. 
 
 In the list of operas whicli Balfe himself drew 
 up, and to wMch reference has been made, there 
 is a gap of five years between the production of 
 "The Maid of Honour" and "The Sicilian Bride." 
 These years were spent by Balfe in activity, but 
 circumstances were not favourable to the en- 
 couragement of English opera. His duties as 
 conductor of Her Majesty's Theatre, and the many 
 engagements which he accepted during the season, 
 kept him fully employed, and so soon as the cur- 
 tain fell on the last act of the final performance 
 he went away with his family, to enjoy the rest he 
 had earned by his work. Frequently this rest was 
 made only a diversion of labour, for he was called 
 upon to fulfil engagements in one place or another 
 abroad or at home. 
 
 Thus in 1846 he spent his holiday in Paris at 
 the invitation of Louis Philippe, the King of the' 
 Prench, who always admired his genius, and- 
 
BALFE. 199 
 
 highly estimated his personal character. Of the 
 particulars of this and similar visits there is no 
 certain information. 
 
 Balfe kept a diary^ but resolutely baffled his 
 future biogra.phers by destroying it regularly at 
 the beginning of a new year. He had also a 
 strong dislike to writing long letters. Those of 
 his communications which exist, are preserved as 
 treasures by his friends, because of their rarity. 
 They are brief, and refer to matters apparently 
 xmderstood between himself and his correspond- 
 ents; and moreover they are further disappoint- 
 ing as they seldom bear other date than the day 
 of the week. 
 
 He was passionately attached to his family, 
 and as he was accustomed always to have them 
 near him, there was no need for him to carry on 
 a correspondence in order to know and to make 
 known how time passed with each other. 
 
 Some of his musical sketch books remain, and 
 from them an occasional " light of other days " 
 may be discerned. 
 
 Thus it was found that in 1846 he wrote three 
 pieces of music to sacred words for Madame- 
 
200 BALFB. 
 
 Adelaide, the sister of the French king. These 
 were to Latin words with orchestral accompani- 
 ment. They consist of a solo for bass, " Gratias 
 ago;" a duet for two basses, "Kyrie Eleison," 
 and a trio, " Sanctus," for soprano and two basses. 
 It is known also that about this time he was 
 asked to write a Mass for the service of the Eoman 
 Church, but he was not able to begin it. 
 
 His friend Mr. Beale, the publisher, offered to 
 find a subject for an oratorio, which he was 
 anxious for him to compose, but Balfe was never 
 willing to undertake work for which he felt he 
 possessed no special qualifications or inclination. 
 
 In 1847 and 1848 he remained in England after 
 the opera season, for several months, making a 
 tour in the provinces with Jenny Lind and others, 
 the most triumphant and profitable speculation 
 ever undertaken. In the spare time of the first 
 year he wrote a number of beautiful songs to 
 satisfy the publishers. In his leisure in 1848 he 
 commenced, and all but completed, a new opera 
 to satisfy himself. His musical sketch book re- 
 veals that this was begun at Manchester, 12th 
 September, 1848. 
 
BALFE. 201 
 
 The words and names sliow that the subject of 
 the opera -was taken from Victor Hugo's play, 
 " Le Eoi s' Amuse," the same source whence 
 Piave, the Italian poet, took the book for Verdi's 
 " Eigoletto." Verdi's opera was produced ia 1851, 
 at Venice, so that the honour of priority in the 
 
 -choice of the subject may be claimed for Balfe. 
 
 There are no other papers, notes, or references 
 to this work existing. It is therefore impossible 
 to explain why Balfe never finished more than 
 two acts. It maybe that his moral nature re- 
 volted at the equivocal nature of the subject, and 
 so he abandoned it. The author of the libretto 
 is not stated, but as the sketch book was only in- 
 tended for private use, there was no need to record 
 matters of which the writer did not think it 
 proper to inform himself. A quotation of a part 
 of the poem may serve to disclose the author's 
 
 , style : — 
 
 Weep not, 'twill whelm my heart, 
 
 To witness grief like thine, 
 Which to thy hopes may peace impart, 
 
 But only shatters mine. 
 
 This is a portion of a duet for Einalfo, the jester, 
 and his daughter, which, as music, is as powerful 
 
202 BALPB. 
 
 as anything that Balfe ever wrote, and quite as 
 vigorous and as dramatic as the well-known " Tutte 
 le festa," in the like situation in Verdi's opera. 
 The whole seems to be written as a " Grand Opera 
 Seria," with recitations, not dialogue. 
 
 The finale to the second act includes an air in 
 E major, the melody of which is the first idea of 
 the beautiful " Power of love," so effectively used 
 afterwards as " Satanella." 
 
 The same sketch books show the nucleus of a 
 mass of undated work, particularly interesting to 
 the student of Balfe, and offering by its existence, 
 the clearest proof that his apparently spontaneous 
 effusions were the result of careful thought and 
 labour. Ln the early pages of one of the books, 
 some of which appear to have been single or de- 
 tached sheets afterwards bound together, there 
 are no less than four distinct settings of the words 
 "When other lips," in "The Bohemian Girl." 
 These are not only different in rhythm to the 
 published and popular version, but they are in 
 different key. There is also a version of the trio 
 in the last act " See at your feet," more extended 
 than that given in the opera, and finally "The- 
 
BALFE. 20S 
 
 fair land of Poland" has altogetlier another 
 melody. The gipsies' chorus was greatly modified 
 before it was considered final, and had the whole 
 of the skebches for the opera been preserved, it is 
 possible that other important changes might have 
 been revealed. 
 
 The portions of the unfinished opera spoken of 
 just now prove that Balfe though not represented 
 before the public by any new work, was not allow- 
 ing his mind to lie fallow as was supposed during 
 these years. 
 
 In 1849, at the end of the London season, he 
 was invited to visit Berlin by the present Emperor 
 of Germany, then the Prince of Prussia. This 
 was the second time in his life that he had been 
 honoured by so pleasant a command from a foreign 
 potentate ; first by the King of the French, now 
 by the heir to the throne of Germany. 
 
 Tranquillity had succeeded a period of revolution 
 and disturbance on the Continent. England was 
 not actually involved in rebellion, but it was feared 
 that a rising might take place in London at any 
 time. Prepared for the worst, the director of Her 
 Majesty's Theatre, secretly drilled and armed his 
 
204 BALFB. 
 
 employes to defend the touse iu case of an 
 
 3/ utiBiC Km 
 
 Quiet had been restored, and travelling on the 
 Continent was safe once more. Still the Crown 
 Prince of Prussia had never presented himself to 
 the public, or joined in the world of art, after the 
 insults he had received during the rising in Ger- 
 many in 1848. He honoured Balfe by being pre- 
 sent at the production of " The Bondman " (Der 
 Mulatte), at the Grand Opera in Berlin, given 
 under the direction of the composer, who wrote 
 two new pieces of ballet music, " A pas de cinque " 
 and a " Minuet," for Marie Taglioni. The opera 
 was given with as complete a mise en scene as 
 could be desired. ' The performers included the 
 famous Madame Koesler, Herr Manting, and 
 others equally distinguished in the German 
 operatic stage. 
 
 The whole of the members of the Royal Family 
 of Prussia were skilled in music, and counted 
 many of Balfe's' compositions among their 
 favourite pieces. It was therefore before a sym- 
 pathetic and appreciative audience that he was 
 called upon to produce one of his best works. A 
 
BALFE. 205 
 
 proof of the appreciation of his efforts was con- 
 veyed in the invitation to return during the fol- 
 lowing year, and superintend the representations 
 of "Die Zigeuneriunn," ("The Bohemian Girl") 
 on the King's birthday. This was done in due- 
 time, and the King offered Balfe the decoration 
 of the Prussian Eagle, which, as an English sub- 
 ject, he was compelled to decline. 
 
 In several of the provincial theatres in Germany 
 his opera had been given, and to this day more 
 than one of Balfe's compositions are performed 
 on the several German stages, and enjoyed with as 
 great a zest as in his native kingdom. 
 
 Balfe returned to London in January, 1850, to 
 conduct a series of " Grand National Concerts " 
 at Her Majesty's Theatre. For this he composed * 
 an Overture. This enterprise was managed by a 
 committee of noblemen and gentlemen, but it 
 was not successful. People's minds were running 
 upon the " great world's fair," which was to take 
 place the year following. Musical speculations 
 were not all unprofitable however. During the' 
 triumphant concert tour of Jenny Lind in 1849, 
 she had been offered an engagement by a com- 
 
'206 BALPE. 
 
 mittee acting through a Mr, Hall, a member of 
 the orchestra at Her Majesty's, to sing at twelve 
 concerts, at the rate of £500 per night. This 
 proved very profitable, and Jenny Lind, to show 
 her high appreciation of the services Balfe had 
 rendered to her during her engagement at the 
 opera, and upon the tours, before she went to 
 America, volunteered to sing for him gratis at a 
 concert in London. She managed the whole 
 afEair herself, and the concert given at Exeter 
 Hall at the end of the month of January, 1850, 
 realized £1,700, an amount never equalled before 
 or since in the building. 
 
 The year of the " Great Exhibition " saw the pro- 
 duction of both variety and novelty at the opera 
 in the Haymarket, " Gustavus III.," "Masaniello," 
 and " L'Enf ant Prodigue " of Auber, " Plorinda," 
 by 1 halberg, for which the publishers paid £2,000, 
 the largest sum ever given at that time for an 
 Italian opera in England, and "Fidelio" for the 
 first time on this stage with Sophie Cruvelli and 
 Sims Eeeves in the principal parts. For this 
 opera Balfe wrote the recitatives alluded to on 
 page 196, and which are always given when the 
 
BALFE. 207 
 
 work is played in Italian in England. AU these 
 "were condncted by Balf e in a manner whicli called 
 forthtlie most enthusiastic praise from the public, 
 the artists, and even from the manager. The 
 prisoner's chorus in " Fidelio," had the advantage 
 of the assistance of all the principal male artists, 
 Gardoni, Calzolari, Pardini, Massol, Ferranti 
 Lorenzo, and F. Lablache, at the request of Balfe, 
 to do honour to this great work. The season 
 was further marked by a sensation scene appro- 
 priate to the period, thus described by Mr. 
 Lumley. " After a brilliant performance of the 
 ' Muta di Portici,' the curtain rose upon a well- 
 devised scene of the monster ' Crystal Palace ' 
 (the first of that illustrious species) and the sur- 
 rounding landscape of Hyde Park. An 'occa- 
 sional ode,' composed by Balfe, the conductor, 
 heralded the symbolical congress of ' peace and 
 goodwill ' among nations." 
 
 The music of this pageant, which included 
 " Characteristic dances," was not the only work 
 besides ballads which Balfe wrote in this year. 
 He wrote a cantata for female voices with Italian 
 words, for Signer Puzzi's benefit, on May 26th. 
 
208 BALFE. 
 
 The accompaniments included a horn part for- 
 Puzzi, a harp part for Labarre, and a pianoforte 
 part which he played himself. The singers — 
 Sontag, Sophie Cruvelli, and Korentini, were- 
 each provided with music suited to their powers,, 
 and strove in friendly rivalry to outshine each 
 other, and to do justice to Balfe's music. Labarre 
 was a pupil of Boieldieu, and with Adolphe- 
 Adam wrote the " Allegro " to the overture " La 
 Dame Blanche." The introduction and the coda 
 were -written by the master. 
 
 As the season reached the end, the members of 
 the orchestra presented Balfe with a magnificent 
 silver salver, as a testimony of their admiration 
 not only for his genius, but for his never-varying 
 Mndness and consideration for all in the theatre,, 
 from the highest to the lowest. 
 
 He enjoyed one triumph more in the favourable 
 reception given to " Les Quatre Fils Aymon," in 
 a new guise. Mr. Lumley in his " Eeminiscences 
 of the Opera," thus tells the story of the produc- 
 tion. "Another event, however, was still to come. 
 For the benefit of the conductor, Mr, Balfe, was 
 performed, for the first time on the Italian stage,. 
 
BAT.FE. 209 
 
 that genial composer's opera, 'LesQuatre Fils 
 Aymon,' under the title of 'I Quatro Fratelli.' It 
 was first produced at the Opera Comique in Paris, 
 and met with much success. It was equally ad- 
 mired in its English form when given at the 
 Princess's Theatre, under the management of Mr. 
 Maddox, as 'The Castle of Aymon.'" But it 
 was always in Germany that it enjoyed its greatest 
 popularity. First produced at Vienna, it quickly 
 visited every capital city and town in Germany, 
 and was everywhere received with enthusiasm. 
 To this day it remains a " stock opera," and every 
 military band still executes, on aU available occa- 
 sions, the favourite melodies of "Die vier 
 Haimon's Kinder." " Perhaps," writes Mr. 
 Lumley, " there is no one of Mr. Balfe's many 
 operas which abound so much in lively, spirited, 
 and at the same time original melodies, as this 
 happy inspiration. Owing to the composer's in- 
 genious blending of the two characters of Italian 
 and French styles of composition into a style that 
 may be called per se ' Balfean,' this tuneful work 
 lost nothing of its original effect when transferred 
 to the Italian stage. The music may even be said 
 
 p 
 
210 BALFE. 
 
 to have acquired a fresh beauty from being con- 
 Teyed to the audience in the Italian tongue. 
 Comic verve and dramatic esfrit were preserved, 
 ■while the countless melodies of the work gained in 
 mellifluous fluency. Sophie Cruvelli, aided by 
 Gardoni , Pardini, Coletti, and Massol, secured a 
 most effective and spirited execution for the work 
 of their friend and fellow-artist; and Mr. Balfe 
 earned on the occasion of his benefit, a great and 
 legitimate triumph." 
 
 The " Musical World " gives an account of the 
 performance, of which the following is a condensa- 
 tion : — 
 
 "The production of Balfe, Comic Opera, 'Le 
 Quatre Fils Aymon,' and in the Italian title of 
 ' I Quatro Fratelli,' for the benefit of the composer 
 was an event of more than ordinary interest. 
 Messrs. Leuwen and Brunswick never invented a 
 more ingenious and amusing libretto ; Balfe never 
 wrote music more lively, untiring, and vivacious. 
 It is not necessary to enter into details, since none 
 of our readers can have forgotten the adventures 
 of the four sons, who, left penniless by their father, 
 Duke Aymon, through the wit and spirit of the 
 
BALFB. 211 
 
 enchanting Erminia, daughter of Baron Beau- 
 nanoir the Stingy, get wives and fortunes ; the 
 lucky Olivier obtaining the hand and heart of 
 Erminia, while the three brothers are united to 
 her three cousins^ each fairer than her neighbours. 
 
 " Such an Erminia as Cruvelli was enough to 
 make the success of an opera of less merit than 
 that of Balfe. A more elegant, brilliant yet dash- 
 ing piece of comedy was never seen. Every one 
 of the three costumes suited Cruvelli to admira- 
 tion ; indeed in this particular, it could be difficult 
 not to suit her, since she suits every dress so well, 
 that the dress must needs look handsome that 
 she- wears. In every scene CruveUi was the life 
 and soul of the action. She was quicksilver; and 
 yet, in the midst of her incessant movement, 
 everything she did was graceful, natural, and 
 easy. She had already proved herself a tragedian 
 in Fidelio and Norma ; in Erminia she came out 
 as a sterling comedian, 
 
 ''The other characters were well filled. Gar- 
 doni was delightful as Olivier, and never sang 
 with more taste and feeling. He gave the charm- 
 ing ballad ' Gia tarda e nera,' a gem in its way. 
 
212 BALFE. 
 
 to admiration. Madame Giuliani was excellent as 
 Clara. A new Cavatina, ' Tutti ben riiisci,' com- 
 posed for her by Balfe, and sung in the most 
 artistic and satisfactory manner, was one of the 
 hits of the eTening. The parts of the two other 
 cousinSj Islande and Eglantina, were played by 
 Mdlles. Teller and Lanza. Eicardo, Allardo, and 
 Einaldo, three of the four brothers Aymon, re- 
 ceived full justice at the hands of Signori 
 Perdini, Mercuriali, and Balanchi, and Signer 
 Coletti was perfect as the major-domo Ivon. 
 Balfe was applauded at each act. At the con- 
 clusion Cruvelli came forward alone at the unani- 
 mous call of the house; and to sum up,. Balfe was 
 led on by Gardoni, and cheered to the echo." 
 
 He left London for Vienna to enjoy a still 
 greater triumph. The director of the new 
 Theatre der Wieder, Herr Pokorny, proposed to 
 open his season with " The Bohemian Girl," which 
 had been very profitable to him the year before. 
 He had engaged the famous Jetty TrefFz and Herr 
 Staudigl to strengthen the cast, and the happy 
 thought occurred to him to invite the composer to 
 conduct three performances at a honorarium of 
 
BiLFB. 213 
 
 1,000 francs a night. This proved so great a 
 success that the engagement was extended to 
 twelve nights, at the same rate. The theatre was 
 crowded on each occasion, and Balfe the only Eng- 
 lish composer the Germans had ever seen, was 
 welcomed with the most extraordinary enthusiasm. 
 The German public had conceived the idea that 
 Balfe was an English composer of the last genera- 
 tion. They judged that his music exhibited too 
 much science and learning to have been produced 
 by any writer then living. When he appeared in 
 person they took him for the " son of the com- 
 poser of the ' Bohemian Girl,' and were astonished 
 to find that one so young-looking was so old in 
 their estimation, and the discovery of their own 
 disappointment only increased the excitement with 
 which they received him." Pokorny signalised 
 the event by inviting the distinguished represen- 
 tatives of art and letters to a banquet in honour 
 of Balfe, at the conclusion of his engagement. 
 On which occasion also, he presented the com- 
 poser with a splendid service of plate, as a testi- 
 mony of his gratitude and appreciation. The 
 .artists, on their part, gave him a gold baton, on 
 
214 BALFE. 
 
 which the names of all his operas then known 
 were engraved. 
 
 While this happy scene was enacted within, a 
 scene no less flattering to the composer or significant 
 of the estimation in which his genius was held 
 was inaugurated without. Herr Strauss, the 
 father of the three world- famed brothers, brought 
 his band to perform a selection of pieces from 
 several of Balfe's operas. The veteran delivered, 
 a harangue in the best English he could muster^ 
 and alluding to the personal admiration he felt at 
 being able to make the acquaintance of one whose 
 works he admired in common with all his country- 
 men who had heard them, embraced Balfe, and 
 metaphorically crowned him as " The King of 
 Melody," a title by which he was afterwards ad- 
 dressed, not only in Germany but at home. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 1852—1858. 
 
 DuEiNG the time of his second visit to Berlin, one 
 evening at the residence of Prince Charles, the 
 Crown Prince suggested to Balfe that he should 
 visit St. Petersburgh, and try his artistic fortune 
 there. He promised to make the way easy hy 
 addressing a letter to the Empress, and Balfe, ever 
 grateful, and ever adventurous, determined at the 
 close of the " dismal season " to seek " fresh 
 fields and pastures new." 
 
 Before starting he had delivered up the score of 
 his opera " The Sicilian Bride," the only work of 
 importance which had flowed from his pen for five 
 years. The book written by Alfred Bunn, on the 
 basis of a play by Saint Georges, was the last which 
 the immortal author of the " blaze of triumph " 
 gave to Balfe. It was produced at Drury Lane on 
 the 6th March, 1852, with Miss Crichton, Miss 
 Isaacs, Miss P. Horton, Mr. Sims Eeeves, Mr. 
 Whitworth and Mr. Henry Drayton. With his- 
 
216 BALFE, 
 
 wife and daughter Victoire, Balfe started for 
 Dantzic on a visit to liis son-in-law. Max Behrend, 
 the hushand of his eldest daughter, Louise. Max 
 Behrend's sister was the wife of the charming 
 composer, Curschmann, and the united talents of 
 those gathered together at this period, in this 
 place, afforded the means for the enjoyment of 
 many happy hours. 
 
 From Dantzic they proceeded to St. Petershurgh 
 in M. Behrend's travelling carriage. They were 
 nine nights and eight days performing the journey, 
 and were wearied and worn beyond measure when 
 they entered the good city of St. Petershurgh. After 
 a few days' sojourn in an hotel, they were invited 
 hy Mr. Michele, who was formerly the Editor of the 
 Morning Post, and now held the office of Consul- 
 General, to remain as his guests. 
 
 Balfe delivered the 'letters with which he had 
 been furnished by the Eoyal family of Prussia, but 
 he had to wait for his reception for some time — 
 nearly two months — in consequence of the Court 
 being in mourning for the Duke of Leichtenberg. 
 That period having passed, he was invited to con- 
 duct the Court concert given at the residence of 
 
BALFB. 217 
 
 the Grand Duchess Helen. The Grand Duke 
 Constantine presented Balfe to the Empress, who 
 greeted him as an old friend as " M. Balfe, de I'air." 
 The air being the finale to the " Maid of Artois," 
 originally written for Malibran, but which had 
 been made familiar to the Court by the singing of 
 Alboni and Pauline Viardot. 
 
 During his stay at St. Petersburgh Balfe gave 
 two concerts in the SaUe de Noblesse, with the 
 assistance of Mesdam as Viardot, Caradori, Garcia, 
 Mario, Demeric and Signori Tamberlik, Mario, De- 
 bassini, Eomani and Lablache. By desire of the 
 Eoyal Family, who attended these concerts, the 
 greater part of the programme was made up of a 
 selection from his own compositions, including 
 *' Le Postiglione," which he sang and accompanied 
 : himself in his own marvellous style. 
 
 His geniality and readiness made him many 
 friends. In one of his letters, written at the time, 
 he says, "I have done splendidly here. The 
 Russians have positively taken a fancy to me, and 
 I have all the prettiest women in St. Petersburgh 
 ,as pupils. I shall come back here next season, of 
 course. The Empress herself has had the good- 
 
218 BALFB. 
 
 ness to request me to return. I really cannot 
 speak in too liigh terms of all the Imperial family ; 
 I am spoiled by them, and^ what is almost better, 
 have received splendid presents." 
 
 Balfe did not return the next season, for the 
 Crimean war broke out, and his second visit to- 
 Eussia was not made until some years after. On 
 his way back to England he stopped at Vienna to 
 produce "Eeolanthe," at the Imperial Theatre, 
 which proved a great success. From Vienna he 
 went to Trieste, further lengthening the time of ^ 
 his absence from home by a sojourn in Italy. At 
 Trieste the "Bohemian Girl" as "La Zingara," 
 was performed in the month of December, and 
 very soon with the wandering propensities of the 
 tribe to which she belonged, did she " find a home 
 somewhere " very quickly. In Bologna, the scene 
 of former pleasant memories, in Brescia and in Ber- 
 gamo was the fascinating dream of " La Zingara " 
 fully admitted. These performances offered a 
 gratifying proof of the sympathy of feeling be- 
 tween the English artist and the Italian people, 
 and they awakened a desire in the mind of the 
 representative Italian musician and publisher,.. 
 
BALFE. 219' 
 
 Eicordi, to include Balfe's name in his archives. 
 He therefore offered him a commission to write an 
 opera for Trieste. Balfe chose a boob compiled by 
 F. M. Piave upon a subject suggested by himself 
 with the title of " Lo Scudiero." This was com- 
 pleted but never performed. 
 
 Piave was an Italian poet of high merit but of 
 lugubrious fancy. He had made a special study 
 of Victor Hugo's dramas, and delighted in trans- 
 lating into Italian those with gloomy endings. 
 
 He sent another book to Balfe called " Pittore 
 e Duca." The subject was, as far as could be told, 
 original. The poet's peculiar fancy had, however, 
 conceived an ending to the opera in perfect agree- 
 ment with that which had hitherto satisfied Verdi,- 
 for whom he had written several libretti. In this 
 opera, produced in September, 1856, Balfe had 
 written some of his best dramatic and most 
 original music. The success of the whole was most 
 exciting but the final scene, with its tragic ending, 
 was changed after the first night and the opera 
 was made to end happily. 
 
 The finale was altered by Saint Georges, Balfe's- 
 old friend and literary collaborateur in Paris, and 
 
•220 BALFE. 
 
 this modified version was translated by tlie present 
 writer into Bnglisli some years later, and performed 
 at Her Majesty's Theatre by the Carl Eosa Opera 
 Company, in January, 1882, by the name of 
 "Moro, the Painter of Antwerp." Tfc was well 
 receiyedj several of the pieces being encored by an 
 enthusiastic audience. There is some very fine 
 music in this opera. The introduction is striking 
 and new. The finale to the second act is especially 
 well written. There are three ai-ias for tenor of 
 unusual freshness and charm. The baritone songs 
 are -vigorous and well laid out for the voice, and 
 the soprano music, based upon the Italian models, 
 is brilliant and florid. The choral writing, as 
 instanced in the chorus of judges, and a chorus 
 for students, is excellent, and the scoring is full of 
 colour and character. Altogether it is an interest- 
 ing exareple of the composer's thoughts at that 
 period. The Daily Telegraph, in a long and appre- 
 ciative notice of the opera, after the performance at 
 Her Majesty's Theatre, singles out for special praise 
 -several of the numbers. The first act proper con- 
 tains a song, "Is it then in vain .I've waitedj" 
 
BALFB. • 221 
 
 illustrative of Balfe's purest melodic style, as well 
 as the care with which, when in proper mood, he 
 could ably wed the tone to the words. With this 
 may be bracketed Olivia's air in the convent scene, 
 " As by the river straying." Portions of the duet 
 for Olivia and Alba are marked by strong dramatic 
 purpose. The musical interest of the second act 
 fairly begins with Moro's song, " Farewell thoughts 
 of joy and gladness." Here the well-known Balfe 
 melody asserts itself, and the audience gave it all 
 the welcome implied in a vociferous encore. A 
 like reception awaited the Duke's air, " Bold knight, 
 his armour wearing," which is also in the com- 
 poser's best vein. In the third act attention is 
 challenged by some capital concerted pieces for the 
 sailors and people, and by charming dance music 
 of a Spanish character. In agreeable sequence 
 comes a duet for the lovers, opening with a slow 
 movement, only to be described as, in its way, a 
 gem ; but the attraction of the duet is surpassed 
 by the real beauty of Moro's barcarolle, "On my 
 gondola so lonely." No number, perhaps, has a 
 better chance of taking just honours than this 
 
'222 BALFB. 
 
 song, which, with its lively choral refrain, appeals 
 irresistibly to all who have any soul for fresh and 
 spontaneous tune. 
 
 Madame Valleria performed the part of Olivia, 
 and when the Opera was repeated in London and 
 in the country. Miss Georgina Bums added greatly 
 to her reputation by her singing and acting in the 
 part. Miss Guilia Warwick was Ines, Mr. Barton 
 McGuckin, was Moro the Painter, Mr. Leslie Crotty 
 was the Duke, Mr. Dudley Thomas, was Vargas, 
 and Mr. Hervet D'Egville, the Ambassador Orsini. 
 
 The vocal score was issued by the house of 
 Messrs. Cramer and Co., the house which, in 1835, 
 had printed Balfe's " Seige of Eochelle;" and the 
 Queen, with her customary gracious kindness, 
 accepted the dedication of the opera. 
 
 Balfe visited several places in Italy in the year 
 1856. Turning homewards he rested at Paris, 
 where he wrote a "Concert Overture," dated 
 "January, 1857," which is full of spirit and fire. 
 It was performed by Pasdeloup in later years with 
 •success, and was given once or twice in London. 
 When Balfe reached the British metropolis he 
 found that another attempt had been made to 
 
BALFE. 223 
 
 -establish a National Opera in consequence of the 
 outcry for the support of native talent which was 
 made in the public prints of the time. 
 
 It was during this year that the musical world 
 hailed with delight the publication of " six songa 
 and a duet," which Balfe had composed to words 
 by the American poet Longfellow. They were 
 written at Dantzic during a short stay with his 
 son-in-law, M. Behrend, on his way home from St. 
 Petersburgh. Published by Boosey, they met with 
 ^ most favourable reception. An enormous 
 number of copies were sold in a remarkably 
 short period. Up to this time the poems of 
 Longfellow were scarcely read or known in Eng- 
 land. Balfe's selection of words attracted attention 
 to the poet who had written them, and awakened 
 «, demand for his works. Musicians of all degrees 
 of talent followed the lead given, and poured forth 
 a flood of " Longfellow settings." The poet him- 
 self, grateful for the popularity which his verses 
 Lad gained in England through Balfe's genius, 
 wrote a letter expressing the pleasure he had 
 received through his music, and invited Balfe to 
 visit him at his home in America. He promised 
 
224 
 
 BALFE. 
 
 Mm a reception in that country which his talents 
 merited. About the same period also, General 
 MorriSj the author of " Woodman spare that tree," 
 and several other poems which had become known 
 in England, sent to Balfe a magnificent copy of his 
 works, accompanied by a letter stating that if he 
 found any of the poems worthy of setting nothing 
 would give him greater pleasure than to have his 
 name associated with that of the composer of the 
 immortal " Bohemian Girl," who by this time had 
 wandered not only all over the United States but 
 also into the chief colonies. Balfe was asked to ac- 
 company Jenny Lind to America in 1850, but was 
 not able to make arrangements for a visit to that 
 country. He often longed to sojourn among a 
 people who had received his works with the greatest 
 favour, and who would doubtless have given him a 
 cordial welcome. 
 
 He was not forgotten by the public of London. 
 He announced a performance of " The Bohemian 
 Girl," with other attractions, for his benefit at 
 Drury Lane in the month of July. He was assisted 
 by Miss Arabella Goddard, the foremost English. 
 pianist of her time, by Miss Dolby, Madame Viardot 
 
BALPE. 225 
 
 Garcia, Messrs. Gassier, Weiss, and Sims Eeeves. 
 The performance was a brilliant success, and the 
 composer was received with cordial and affectionate 
 welcome from the audience. In all other respects 
 Balfe's muse was silent this year. 
 
 In the closing months of 1857, Mr. Harrison 
 and Miss Louisa Pjne entered into partner- 
 ship. Their object was to establish a national 
 opera in English. They were well supported 
 by a committee of subscribers, and opened 
 the Lyceum Theatre with high hopes and 
 expectations. They gave operas in English, 
 " The Huguenots," " Crown Diamonds," etc. The 
 performances were successful artistically, but the 
 public did not flock to the theatre in such numbers 
 as to make the venture prosperous financially. 
 With shrewd and practical knowledge the partners 
 believed that if they could keep the theatre open 
 long enough, the public would in time support the 
 undertaking. Day by day gloom settled thicker 
 and closer over and around them, until it was felt 
 that an undertaking intended to be national must 
 be promoted by other means than the production 
 of foreign works. Balfe was invited to write an 
 
226 BALFE. 
 
 opera. The magic of his name seemed to revive 
 the fortunes of the house, and his sunny presence 
 to dispel the gloom. When the opera was only 
 announced the attendance became improved, as 
 though people were auxious not to lose sight of 
 the faintest blush of the ray which might bring 
 light and prosperity. When the opera was finished 
 and produced, the house was not large enough to 
 hold the people who wished to hear it. The opera 
 was "The Eose of Castille." Twice at least before 
 had Balfe saved the fortunes of a theatre by his 
 efforts. Once again was his music to replenish 
 the exhausted treasury, and to fill men's minds 
 and hearts with a grateful flood of incomparable 
 melody. The libretto of this new opera was con- 
 structed by Mr. Augustus Harris, the stage 
 manager, and Mr. Edward Falconer, a dramatic 
 writer of some power. The groundwork was " Le 
 Mxdetier de Toledo," which had obtained some 
 little success when produced in Paris on the 18th 
 May, 1849, and to which Adolph Adam had set 
 some charming music. 
 
 Balfe completed his opera in thirty days, work- 
 ing at night, as was his wont, between the hours 
 
BALFE. 227 
 
 •of eleven and three. He seemed to be more 
 nervous about tlie success of this than any of his 
 former works. He knew that the artists of the 
 theatre had consented to remain on half-salaries 
 until the production of his opera. If it proved to 
 be a failure his mortification would be doubly 
 increased. 
 
 Public expectation had been raised to a high 
 ,pitch in anticipation of a renewal of those pleasures 
 which Balfe's pen never failed to excite. For all 
 ihese reasons he took particular pains with his 
 workj and hoped for the best. His own appre- 
 hension is expressed in the words, " My new opera, 
 'The Eose of Castille,' comes out to-night. If one 
 •could judge by the rehearsals, we have every chance 
 of a great success. Nous verrons." 
 
 The opera was produced on the 29th of October, 
 1857. 
 
 The singers, Miss Louisa Pyne, Miss Susan Pyne, 
 Mr. Harrison, Mr. Weiss, and Mr. George Honey, 
 exerted themselves to the utmost to do justice to 
 music which had been arranged to show to the best 
 advantage the capacities and accomplishments of 
 all. Balfe was happy when he could write to hia 
 
^28 BALFE. 
 
 family at Paris after the performance — " Great 
 success. I was called out after each act, and re- 
 ceived in a most enthusiastic manner." 
 
 The opera had an enormous run. On the 
 hundredth night of its repetition, the author 
 appeared upon the stage at the call of the 
 audience, and "wreaths, flags, bouquets, baskets 
 of flowers, all the prescribed paraphernalia of 
 enthusiasm rained upon the stage." It ran for 
 nearly two seasons, first at the Lyceum and after- 
 wards at Drury Lane, when the Pyne and Harrison 
 Company transferred their venture to the larger 
 honse. 
 
 In this work the experts observed that Balfe's 
 scoring was especially worth attention and remark. 
 It was not the humming of a big guitar, but " a. 
 series of masterly bits of kaleidoscopic colouring, 
 helping tlie form and yet charming the senses with 
 surprising combinations of appropriate hues.'^ 
 "The muleteer's song," "The convent cell," 
 "'Twas rank and fame," the trio "Fm not the 
 Queen," are the brightest among the gems whick. 
 sparkle throughout the opera. Balfe's powers had. 
 
BALFE. 229 
 
 rgained in solidity, and the influence of his melo- 
 dies over the public mind was as great as ever. 
 
 Another fact worth noting was the production of 
 "The Bohemian Girl" during the first experimental 
 winter season at Her Majesty's Theatre, in Italian as 
 " La Zingara." Piccolomini, Alboni, Giuglini, and 
 Beletti were the representatives of the chief parts. 
 Balfe converted the dialogue into recitative, and 
 made the whole homogeneous for the Italian 
 stage. Giuglini's singing of " Then you'll re- 
 member me," in the Italian brought with it a 
 pleasure never to be forgotten by those who heard 
 it. The lessee, Mr. Lumley, was so delighted with 
 the result, that he presented Balfe with a cheque 
 (for fifty pounds ; a sum considerably in excess of 
 ■what was due as '^ author's i-ights." 
 
 While the season continued. Her Eoyal High- 
 ness the Princess Eoyal, the eldest daughter of 
 our gracious Queen, was married to the Crown 
 Prince of Prussia. The Queen and the Prince 
 Consort, in commanding the performances at the 
 theatres to celebrate the occasion, signified the 
 interest they had always shown in native music as 
 
230 BALFE. 
 
 represented by Balfe, by commandiHg a perform- 
 ance of " La Zingara " at Her Majesty's, and of 
 "The Eose of Castille" at the English Opera. 
 The Prince Consort further expressed his great 
 approval of the last-named work by ordering over 
 fifty copies of the scores to be sent as presents to 
 his friends in Germany. The published copy was 
 dedicated to the most noble the Marchioness of 
 Downshire. 
 
 Once more did Balfe renew the triumph he had 
 gained in times gone by, First with " The Siege 
 of Eochelle/' next with the " Bohemian Girl," and 
 now with " The Rose of Castille." Each marked 
 an epoch in his life, and showed the mental pro- 
 gress he had made. Each work possessed the cha- 
 racteristic qualities which distinguished his music 
 among that of all others of his contemporaries. 
 Each later Opera compared with its predecessor 
 presented unmistakable signs of development in 
 thought and treatment. The last placed side 
 by side with the first made the artistic contrast 
 the more striking. In all these was the expression 
 of the heaven-born power of melody with which 
 he was so greatly endowed. The maturity of ex- 
 
BALFE. 231 
 
 perienee lent force to his fancy, and brought im- 
 provement with increasing years. Of those which 
 represented his intermediate labours, it might be 
 said "that the music fell upon the ear like a reve- 
 lation, and upon art with the power of a revolution." 
 
 " Satanella " proved another positive triumph 
 for the composer. The ingenuity of the story, 
 albeit the introduction of certain characters, Ari- 
 manes for instance, was freely commented upon, 
 and admitted on all sides. The style was that of 
 the grand opera, and the music was delightful. 
 The chief air for " Satanella " " The power of 
 love," which permeates the whole work, and forms 
 the guiding theme of the opera, was quickly caught 
 up, and spread through the town. It made as 
 great a sensation as " The light of other days " 
 had done two-and-twenty years before, though it 
 must be acknowledged that a great share of the 
 interest was due to the exquisite singing of the 
 most accomplished English prima donnas, Miss 
 Pyne, " the first among them all." 
 
 The instrumentation was vigorous, the effects 
 were novel, the musical ideas were striking and 
 powerful. The " go " in the dramatic action and 
 
232 BALFE. 
 
 the grace and charm of the accompaniments, and 
 the ballet music were greatly admired. " The con- 
 vent cell " another beautiful ballad, gained much 
 charm by the sweetness and purity of Miss Pyne's 
 singing. The opera was played the whole season. 
 In 1859 Mr. Henry Littleton, who had succeeded 
 to the business of Novello and Co., gave Balfe the 
 commission to edit a collection of Moore's Irish 
 Melodies, and to supply introductory symphonies 
 and accompaniments. It may be almost needless 
 to say that a subject so congenial .was treated by 
 Balfe in the happiest mood. Every one of these 
 ballads so set is a gem in itself, and the reverence 
 paid to the traditional form of the melodies was in 
 all respects commendable. There was no altera- 
 tion of a note or passage to make it conformable 
 to a passing fancy, and no change of a phrase to 
 fit the sequence of harmonies. Balfe, by his treat- 
 ment of these songs showed himself not only a 
 scientific but a conscientious musician, " uniting 
 in his person the qualities of musicianship and 
 national sensibility imperatively demanded for 
 such a task." 
 
CHAPTEE XVIIl. 
 
 1858—1865. 
 
 " La Zingaea " was among tlie greatest attrac- 
 tions of the season at Her Majesty's Theatre in 
 1858, the last which was to be under the rule of 
 Mr. Lumley, and " was received with a triumph 
 which had never been exceeded, even in the days 
 of the Catalani." 
 
 Balfe visited the provinces on a prosperous tour 
 in this year, and returned to London to be present 
 rat the rehearsals of " Satanella," the book of 
 which had beea concocted by Messrs. Harris and 
 Falconer. It was produced at Coven t Garden 
 Theatre the 20th December, 1858, the tirst work 
 given on that stage during the time that the Pyne 
 and Harrison Company held the theatre, "their 
 fortune improved by the triumphs of 'Satanella.' " 
 
 Once more did Balfe make "a journey due 
 north " to the Russian capital with his daughter 
 Victoire. What followed is but told in his own 
 words, part of a letter widtten the 26th March, 
 
234 BALFB. 
 
 I860, to an old friend — " I am going to give you 
 a little news that will surprise you, and I am 
 sure that you will be pleased to hear that my 
 darling child Victoire is to be married to an 
 ambassador at the Court, Sir John F. Crampton, 
 at the end of this week, and her mother and 
 your old friend the father return home childless ! 
 Well, now both my girls are well provided for, 
 and I am a happy old gentleman. You will also 
 be glad to hear that the Court here have ex- 
 pressed their satisfaction, and my girl has an 
 audience of the Grand Duchess Constantine, to 
 receive her felicitations." 
 
 While Balfe was in Russia his opera " Satanella " 
 was " drawing crowded houses" at home. Some 
 ballads he had written for Sims Eeeves and others 
 were charming the public ear in the concert rooms. 
 One called " Margaretta," the words of which had 
 been selected by him from General Morris's book,, 
 a contemporary writer describes as " one of those 
 catching trifles which Mr. Balfe in his happiest 
 moments, is so lucky in producing, .... 
 the whole, too, essentially singable, can hardly 
 fail to be effective, and charm all ears, no matter 
 
BALFE. 235 
 
 of what dimensions, and reach all hearts from the 
 softest to the least easily penetrable." 
 
 At the end of October, 1860, Covent Garden was 
 opened with " The Eose of Castille," and " the 
 work was never received with greater favour." An 
 English version of Victor Mass^'s opera " Le Noces 
 de Jeannette " held the stage for a short time nntil 
 it was replaced by another new opera by Balfe 
 entitled " Bianca the Bravo's Bride." The words 
 were by Palgrave Simpson, who followed Matthew 
 Gregory Lewis, commonly called " Monk Lewis,'' 
 pretty closely, in the lines of his story, but with 
 such an amount of poetical feeling as might be 
 expected from so experienced a dramatist. This 
 opera was placed upon the stage on the 6th of 
 December, 1860. It was spoken of almost in the 
 phraseology of Bunn who died at Boulogne the 
 week after the performance, as another glorious 
 triumph for English opera — another hope for 
 national music. " Mr. Balfe's new opera was one of 
 the most legitimate successes ever witnessed 
 within the walls of a theatre." 
 
 The Times in a short notice which appeared on 
 the day following the performance, thus speaks — 
 
236 BALFE. 
 
 ^' A grand romantic opera in four acts, abounding- 
 in complicated music, built upon a story that 
 embodies a great variety of incidents, and written 
 throughout with an evidently serious purport, 
 cannot in fairness be dismissed after a single hear- 
 ing. Such an opera is the long and anxiously 
 expected new work of Mr. Balfe, who for upwards 
 of twenty years has been the most popular of our 
 native composers for the stage, and who last night, 
 added another to his long list of successes. His 
 'Bianca the Bravo's Bride,' is framed more 
 ambitiously than any of his latter productions, and 
 for that reason demands and invites stricter atten- 
 tion. We shall therefore be satisfied at present 
 with announcing its enthusiastic reception by a 
 crowded house. The composer was twice sum- 
 moned before the curtain, and again appeared a 
 fourth time leading Mr. Alfred Mellon, who had 
 well earned the compliment by the ability and 
 labour he must have bestowed in preparing what 
 was an admirable representation, even for this 
 theatre, where imperfect first night representations 
 form the exception, rather than as is too frequently 
 the case, the rule. It may as well be stated that 
 
BALPE. , 237 
 
 * Bianca ' is founded upon the well-known 
 romance of ' Eugantino, or the Bravo of Venice,' 
 also once familiar as a melodrama, and that Mr. 
 Palgrave Simpson has turned the original materials 
 into an operatic libretto with the tact and judg- 
 ment of an experienced hand. Nearly every member 
 of the company is engaged in the distribution of 
 characters, which are so numerous that Mr. Balfe 
 has been able to accommodate as many as six 
 basses and baritones — Messrs. "Wharton, Law- 
 rance, Kelly, Wallworth, Corri and Distin— with 
 more or less conspicuous parts. Mr. Harrison 
 represents the mysterious and formidable bravo — 
 
 Like Cerberus, three gentlemen in one. 
 
 Miss Louisa Pyne, whose singing from end to 
 end was a model of finished and brilliant exe- 
 cution, the Princess distinguished by his tender 
 solicitude ; Mr. St. Albyn, a comic second tenor ; 
 and the promising Miss TMrlwall, a maid of 
 honour somewhat advanced in years. To conclude, 
 scenery, costumes, and a more than usually 
 animated ballet, all efPectively combined to lend 
 attraction to the spectacle. The star of English 
 
238 BALFE. 
 
 opera is clearly in the ascendant." Wallace, 
 Frank Mori, Benedict, Loder, Howard Glover, 
 and Macfarren were all represented through their 
 works on the stage at the same period, either 
 actually or prospectively, and the success achieved, 
 by many was held to point to a bright future for 
 English art. " Formerly an opera — by which is not 
 intended a mere ballad opera — for the pen of an 
 English composer, was regarded in some sort as a 
 phenomenon ; but it would appear from what is 
 now on hand that our musicians have progressed 
 with the times." 
 
 All this was unquestionably owing to Balfe, the 
 honours he had won at home and abroad had 
 awakened the emulation of his contemporaries. 
 Where an Englishman had succeeded, Englishmen 
 might also tread the path of prosperity. 
 
 No one was happier than Balfe to mark this 
 advance. He had said in years gone by, that the 
 only hope of establishing an English national 
 opera upon permanent grounds was to encourage 
 young artists to produce works. The success of one 
 would strengthen the ground for those who were 
 to follow. When the opportunity existed there is 
 
BALFB. 239 
 
 never likely to be any lack of aspirants to seize it. 
 Everything in those days depended upon an 
 individual venture. Had Balfe not applied the 
 means of raising the fortunes of the English opera 
 company by his " ?atanella," the whole specula- 
 tion would have collapsed and another failure to 
 establish English art must have been registered. 
 The favourable reception given to Balfe's opera 
 encouraged others to raise their drooping heads 
 and take heart of courage. 
 
 The Pyne and Harrison Company would prosper 
 so long as matters attractive were offered to the 
 public. But the public is capricious, and cannot 
 be always commanded to admire those things by 
 which the entrepreneur hopes only to make money. 
 A thousand reasons might be advanced to explain 
 the cause of failure where success was desired and 
 expected. But reasons, though they be "as 
 plentiful as blackberries," will not fill the treasury, 
 and it is necessary that some other guarantee 
 against failure should be supplied. There is no 
 arrangement in this country which admits of a 
 subvention being granted to support theatrical or 
 musical entertainments. Everything is left to 
 
240 BALPE. 
 
 private enterprise. If English opera appeared to- 
 be successful under tlie regime of the Pyne and 
 Harrison Company it was because the works given 
 were attractive to the public, and the managers 
 were careful to place them upon the stage in a 
 manner fit for public acceptance. Balfe's operas 
 had turned the fortunes of more than one venture. 
 They were usually attractive and remunerative.. 
 It was therefore not surprising that the directors 
 of the English Opera should make an earnest 
 endeavour to secure the services of the greatest 
 among English opera writers, and provide for a 
 succession of works during their tenure of the 
 theatre. A new arrangement made with Mr. Gye- 
 for the use of the theatre for three years, suggested 
 the offer to Balfe of an engagement for a like 
 period. 
 
 Balfe undertook to supply three original English 
 operas, in the month of October in the three suc- 
 cessive years 1861, 1862 and 1863. For the acting 
 right, singing or acting — for three years, for each 
 opera he was to receive three hundred pounds, one 
 half to be paid on the 20th of October, the re- 
 laainder on the day after the first performance. A 
 
BALFE. 241 
 
 farther sum of one Imiidred pounds was to be 
 given for an extension of the right for two years 
 more if claimed. The managers were to supply 
 the opera hook. All this arrangement was inde- 
 pendent of any bargain that Balfe might make for 
 the publication of his music. For each opera he 
 had now obtained a thousand pounds. 
 
 Besides the works which Balfe wrote, the Pyne 
 and Karrison Company produced several new 
 operas by William Vincent Wallace, Henry Leslie, 
 and Alfred Mellon their conductor. 
 
 The first opera written by Balfe for Covent 
 Garden, under this engagement was "The Puritan's 
 Daughter." It was produced on the 30th of 
 November, 1861, and met with great and instant 
 success. It pleased the public and the judges, 
 and is even now regarded as one of the most 
 masterly works that Balfe had ever written. 
 
 The author of the libretto Mr. J. V. Bridgeman 
 had done his work well and effectively. He was 
 experienced in the dramatic science, and was well 
 skilled in the art of making smooth, effective and 
 vocal verse. The story selected was good, and 
 Balfe was in the happiest vein in his setting. 
 
 E 
 
242 BALFB. 
 
 The overture is one of the most striking of all 
 Balfe's compositions. It is graceful in its form, 
 and fresh and powerful in the instrumentation. 
 Every other portion of the music was intensely 
 dramatic, and was so arranged that it was in- 
 dependent of spectacle or scenic effects. It was 
 also noteworthy as being the second, and not as was 
 stated at the time, the fii'st of Balfe's operas as a 
 purely English theme — the first was " Catherine 
 Gray." From a musical point of view it was further 
 memorahle as showing a departui-e from the method 
 previously adopted in operas, inasmuch as the 
 tenor parts were kept entirely in the background 
 and the chief music for the lover was assigned to 
 a baritone, not by accident, but by design. This 
 baritone part brought its representative Mr. Santley 
 considerably to the front in public favour, and 
 strengthened the reputation he had earned in 
 other works both as an actor and as a singer. 
 
 Messrs. Harrison, St. Albyn, Wallworth, Honey, 
 Corri and Patey with Miss Pyne sang in this 
 opera, and the public flocked nightly to hear its 
 melodious strains and to enjoy the fine dramatic 
 
BALFE. 243 
 
 interest the situations offered. The Daily Telegraph 
 of that date, thus spoke of the work : — 
 
 " The success of Mr. Balfe's new opera which 
 after the first performance was characterised as 
 'indisputable,' becomes more and more decided 
 with each successive representation. The work 
 contains every element of popularity. The story 
 is interesting, the dialogues amusing, the verses 
 elegantly written, the melodies striking, original, 
 and characteristic, the concerted pieces, though 
 comparatively few in number, invariably well 
 constructed ; while the choruses though still less 
 numerous, are equally dramatic and effective." 
 
 When transplanted to America it excited an 
 extraordinary sensation, even though the poetical 
 finish of the first act was destroyed by the intro- 
 duction of a vulgar finale which was impertinently 
 concocted by the conductor and the performers. 
 This happily did not destroy the attraction of 
 Balfe's music nor diminish his fame. A large 
 number of American copies of the songs were sold, 
 and the publishers reaped a great profit from the 
 sale. Thanks to the international arrangements 
 
244 BALFE. 
 
 as regards copyright, Balfe never derived any- 
 thing more than an artistic benefit from his 
 popularity in America. It is true that he was 
 invited to make a journey to that appreciative 
 country, to enjoy advantages more substantial 
 than empty honour, but he never went. After his 
 death Mr. Pond paid his widow £300 for the right 
 to print "II Talismano " in America, and this 
 was the only financial recognition of Balfe's merit 
 received from the great country, where his operas 
 and songs were as well known and as welcome as 
 they were in the several European cities. 
 
 Balfe never complained of this, never alluded to 
 the want of understanding between, the two 
 nations, he was perfectly well acquainted with the 
 state of things nearer home. International copy- 
 right, as it existed, was practically a dead letter, 
 and the cost of recovering penalties from foreign 
 appropriators not only would have deterred him 
 from taking any action in the matter, if he had 
 been so disposed, but would have been altogether 
 strange to his nature and disposition. 
 
 The cantata " Mazeppa " was begun by Balfe 
 some time in this year, 1861. His mind may have 
 
BALFB. 245 
 
 Tieen interested in scenes of Russian adventure, 
 and if it was so, no better story would recommend 
 itself to his attention. Tlie boot was written by 
 Miss Jessica Eankin, the authoress of several 
 songs to which Balfe had set music. 
 
 The cantata was performed in the month of 
 June, 1862, at Exeter Hall, with Madame Sher- 
 rington, Madame Dolby, Mr. Sims Reeves, and Mr. 
 Santley as the chief singers. It was proposed 
 to introduce it into one of the programmes of 
 the Birmingham Festival of the autumn of 1861, 
 but this proposition was not carried out. After 
 the first performance the whole of the band parts 
 and the score mysteriously disappeared, and have 
 not been recovered to this day. 
 
 The cantata contains some of Balfe's best music. 
 The opening chorus "Fill high" is full of power 
 and vigour. The air for soprano " I dreamed I 
 had a bower so fair" is a gem of melody, the 
 duet following, soprano and contralto, and 
 Mazeppa's song " She walks in queen-like grace," 
 are fit to match with anything Balfe ever wrote. 
 The chorus " Revenge " is well conceived and 
 carried out, and the parting duet soprano and 
 
246 BALFE. 
 
 tenor, " Ah ! why that face so full of care ? "" 
 Mazeppa's second song, the fine dramatic trio, 
 and the instrumental introduction descriptive of 
 the flight of the " Tartar of the Ukraine breed," 
 and the suffering accents of Mazeppa, bound to 
 the creature's back, are most expressive. A bright 
 and effective chorus, concludes this most interest- 
 ing work. 
 
 " Blanche de JSTevers " the second opera written 
 by Balfe, according to the terms of his contract, 
 was produced at Covent Garden Theatre on the 
 21st November, 1862. The libretto provided by 
 John Brougham displayed more regard for poetical 
 expression than for effective dramatic situations. 
 It was compiled at the request of Mr. Harrison, 
 and the sentimental part for the lover was under- 
 taken by him, although all but himself could see 
 that the qualities necessary to excite sympathy 
 had been lost in the passage of time. The public 
 was not enthusiastic about the work. The papers 
 of the time singled out many points of excellence,, 
 the chief, being the carefulness of the writing 
 throughout, the ingenuity brought into play in 
 fitting the singers with passages suited to their 
 
EALFE. 247 
 
 artistic peculiarities, the dramatic power of the 
 ensemhles, the heavity of the ballet, the genuine 
 ■verve in the comic music, and the clever and 
 interesting scoring. 
 
 The plot was a mixture of gipsy life and 
 intrigue, but the incidents were well worn and 
 familiar. Good as Balfe's music was it could not 
 make the story interesting. It pleased musicians, 
 but the audiences were too shy to come out. The 
 words were said to be better than those of the poet 
 Bunn, but there was none of that extraordinary 
 knowledge of stage effect which Bunn always 
 showed even in the weakest of his books. 
 
 Tor the third opera under the contract Balfe 
 vrote "The Armourer of Nantes," the book by the 
 author of the " Puritan's Daughter," Mr J. Y, 
 Bridgman, who had tnken Victor Hugo's " Marie- 
 Tudor " as his guide to a subject. Produced at 
 Covent Garden on 12th February, 1863, it did 
 not fail to satisfy those who looked for high 
 dramatic expression and melodious phrases. The 
 subject included a variety of character and form of 
 utterance, and the last act was held to be one of 
 the best Balfe had written. The choruses were 
 
248 BALFE. 
 
 more carefully constructed than heretofore, for 
 increased knowledge of music had produced a cor- 
 responding effect in the qualifications of those who 
 filled tte inferior but not unimportant situations 
 in an operatic performance. 
 
 With the exception of a little operetta, " The 
 Sleeping Queen," written for Mr. and Mrs. German 
 Eeed, the words by H. Farnie, the " Armourer " 
 was the last new work that Balfe ever produced in 
 bis lifetime. The greater part of the book of 
 " The Armourer" was translated, and Balfe busied 
 himself in arranging the work for the Italian stage, 
 a work he never completed. He began to long for 
 rest and repose. As time flew on, the malady, 
 which a third of a century before had sent him to 
 Italy, became more troublesome with increasing 
 years. The excitement and turmoil of London life 
 no longer possessed its ancient charms for him. 
 He bad realized enougb to be able to say, " Thank 
 God I am no more in a situation to sell my work 
 under its value." What other labour he chose to 
 undertake he could do at his leisure. The need 
 of eking out existence by a variety of occupations, 
 or rather the exercise of his varied genius in many 
 
BALFE. 249 
 
 forms, no longer existed. He had -won a good 
 name, and had, to a certain extent, helped to 
 educate audiences, who were ready at all times to 
 listen to his utterances. His children's children 
 had grown up about him, and he was " a happy- 
 old gentleman." He therefore determined to make 
 the most of his happiness. He sold the lease of 
 his house in Upper Seymour Street, London, and 
 purchased a small property in Hertfordshire called 
 by- the romantic name of " Eowney Abbey." The 
 house, picturesque in appearance, though modern 
 in origin, stood on a part of the site of a priory of 
 Benedictine nuns called Rowena Abbey, founded 
 in the reign of the second Henry by Conan, Duke 
 -of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, and Lord of the 
 Manor of Great Mundon, The house was five 
 miles fBom Ware, and seven from Hertford. There 
 were gardens, fields, farmsteads, a small copse or 
 wood, and other delights for occupation and 
 pleasure, including a famous fish pond enlarged 
 from, an ancient pool. Here Balfe was wont to 
 enjoy a " contemplative man's recreation." Other 
 quiet field sports he learned to accustom himself 
 to, and his gifted wife had made " such a wonder- 
 
250 BALFE. 
 
 ful place of Eowney," by her care and skill, so tliat 
 when he returned after a short absence he could 
 " scarcely believe his eyes, everything is so lovely 
 and very comfortable." 
 
 In the midst of his comfort and enjoyment he 
 found time and inclination for work. He rescored 
 the overtures to several of his operas, and contem- 
 plated the revision of all his compositions for the- 
 stage as far as possible. With this notion in view 
 he drew up a list of his operas. 
 
 He had at least four important books of new 
 operas to work at. One by Planch^, " The Sieg& 
 of Calais ; " one by Tarnie, title not stated ; one 
 by Oxenford, " The Lady of Lyons ; " and one by 
 Matthison, " The Knight of the Leopard." 
 
 Here it was that he began and nearly finished two- 
 acts of the opera which was sent to himbyrarnie.. 
 Here it was that he read but could find no inspira- 
 tion in a book by Planche. Prom Eowney also he- 
 wrote, 10th September, 1866, to his old friend Mi*. 
 T. Chappell, " I like the idea very much of com- 
 posing Oxenford's libretto, ' The Lady of Lyons.' 
 Would you have any objection to my reading 
 it? " Here it was that he completed the revision, 
 
BALFE. 251 
 
 of tlie scores of " The Knight of the Leopard," his- 
 last and best work. Busy to the last was this 
 faithful and well-loved servant of the public, 
 after an unparalleled career of more than half a 
 century. 
 
 The " Siege of Calais," an opera in three acts,, 
 was written by Planch6 for Mendelssohn, who only 
 lited the first act. Balfe expressed the same 
 opinion, and further thought the other acts wanting, 
 in dramatic situations. Henry Smart had seen 
 the book, and had actually written music for the 
 first act, but could not get on with the rest, 
 Planch6 states in his "Recollections" that Balfe 
 was engaged upon the opera at the time of his 
 death. This could not have been the case. The 
 book had been returned to Mr. T. Chappell, to 
 whom it belonged, some time previously. Balfe 
 found no inspiration in it, for not a single note or 
 any reference to it was found among his papers or 
 sketch books. 
 
 Of Farnie's opera nearly two acts were com- 
 pleted, then the work was stopped. It is doubtful 
 whether Balfe furnished any music for Oxenford^s^ 
 book, though he had it in his possession some 
 
■252 BALFB. 
 
 iime, and wrote to Mr. T. Chappell from Eowney 
 on the lOti September, 1866: "I like the idea 
 very mnch of composing Oxenford's libretto, ' The 
 Lady of Lyons."' 
 
 " The Knight of the Leopard " was completed 
 all but a few pages of the scoring of the last piece. 
 On this opera he dwelt with loving fondness, de- 
 termined to make it the work of his life. " I am 
 studying and making alterations in the ' Knight 
 of the Leopard.' I am very fond of this work ; I 
 wonder if it will take the public — chi lo sa ? " The 
 best offering he could present to the public, for 
 whom he had laboured so long and earnestly, and 
 in whose service he had spent the greater part of 
 the years of half a century. He knew not that 
 that which he intended to be his best work should 
 also be his last, or that this noble outcome _of his 
 genius was to be the crowning effort of a career of 
 industry and productiveness unparalleled in the 
 history of English musical art. 
 
CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 1865—1870. 
 
 The pleasures of " the paradise," as Balf e was- 
 wont to call Eowney Abbey^ the genial character 
 of the air, and the thousand and one little in- 
 describable associations of a residence in a secluded 
 country house, all agreed with him, and he was 
 happy. The children of his eldest daughter, his 
 much-loved " Gigia," were with him, and for 
 their " comfort and solace " he renewed the 
 memories of his youth, and reproduced out of tlie 
 hidden stores of his heart his old gaiety of spirit 
 and exuberance of fun. 
 
 While the summer days lasted, many and 
 boisterous were the excursions made into the 
 neighbourhood in merry enjoyment. When the 
 autumn succeeded, the changing leaves and 
 ripened fruits of nature may have suggested a 
 tone of sadness in the reflections of the "happy 
 old gentleman," but there was none shown out- 
 wardly. 
 
254 BALFB. 
 
 His " darling wife " had not only made Eowney 
 "Abbey beautiful, but with her large-hearted 
 womanly sympathy she had endeared herself to 
 all the poor people in the neighbourhood who 
 would have done anything they knew of to give 
 pleasure to " Madame." 
 
 Within the house when the twilight faded, 
 "G-igia" and her father — who took up his violin 
 after years of disuse — would make music together, 
 reproducing Beethoven, Mozart, and Mendelssohn, 
 "the children sitting round in rapt attention, 
 little Henry Behrend especially drinking from 
 these performances inspiration of music as from a 
 fountain. Or, as it sometimes happened, grand- 
 papa would be telling some wild and exciting 
 story with a special moral in it, or relating the 
 history of some of the heroes of Scripture. The 
 wondering eyes of the children all turned to his 
 face, beautiful with the earnestness of his manner, 
 and the absorbing interest of his subject. His 
 life had been one of brilliant excitement, of fasci- 
 nating tumult and ever-increasing anxiety. He 
 had been connected with the best theatres in 
 Europe, had been associated with all the famous 
 
BALFE. 255 
 
 artists of his time, had produced an extraordinary 
 number of successful operas, and had in every 
 respect been "so diligent in his business" that 
 " he had stood before kings." He now enjoyed 
 the rest his toil had earned, but like a wise man 
 he did not cease from labour, and so raise in idle- 
 ness an enemy against his own peace. 
 
 Even when he accepted an invitation to visit 
 his daughter Victoire, who had now become 
 Duchess de Frias, he carried work with him, not 
 to encumber himself, but to provide a congenial 
 m.eans for the occupation of hours when it was 
 necessary for him to be alone. From " Les Eaux 
 Bonnes " he writes in July, 1865, to his wife. "I 
 have worked like a Trojan, and have finished the 
 instrumentation of the accompaniments of all the 
 pieces I brought with me of the ' Sleeping 
 Queen.' " This was originally written for piano- 
 forte and harmonium. The same letter he ends 
 with an expres3ion which exhibits humour and 
 modesty. " Now good-bye, my darling. All love 
 and affection from the Grandezza and Piccolezza." 
 
 The Duke de Erias, the husband of the 
 " grandezza/' was the representative of a very 
 
256 BALFE. 
 
 ancient Spanisli family. His father had acted 
 as ambassador extraordinary from the Court of 
 Spain at the coronation of our gracious Queen, 
 and a far-away ancestor of his was ambassador 
 plenipotentiary for Spain on the occasion of the 
 accession of James I. A Spanish pamphlet in the 
 British Museum Library, dated 1604, gives an 
 account of the ceremonies observed at that time, 
 and as quoted by Mr. Wm. Chappell in his 
 " Popular Music of the Olden Time," vol. ii., p. 
 408, further says : " The ambassador kissed his- 
 Majesty's hands, craving at the same time permis- 
 sion to salute the ladies present, a custom of 
 which the non-observance on such occasions is 
 deeply resented by the fair sex of this country," 
 and leave was accordingly given. 
 
 In the house of his daughter it was that he 
 commenced to write his opera, "The Knight of 
 the Leopard," the book of which had been com- 
 piled by Mr. Arthur Matthison from Sir Walter 
 Scott's novel the "Talisman." He thus writes to 
 his wife at Eowney on the 9th of August, 1865 : — 
 
 " The air of this place does me a great deal of 
 good. I have entirely finished composing the first 
 
BALFE. 257 
 
 act of ' King Lion Heart ' libretto, which I 
 brought away with me, and Vic and Pepe think I 
 never created anything more charming than a 
 melody to be sung by the tenor which terminates 
 act the first. I have completely finished the P. F. 
 accompaniment of the said act — what think you 
 of that ? " 
 
 Balfe was justly enthusiastic about his work, 
 which he knew not was to be his last, for he 
 felt it was his best. It was altogether based upon 
 different lines than those upon which his former 
 operas had been built, and the novelty of the 
 arrangement brought with its contemplation a 
 complete newness of treatment. The subject 
 would not admit of the final "I'ondo" for the 
 prima donna which had ended nearly all his other 
 operas. The design was broader, grander, and 
 the disposition of the characters in newer style. He 
 felt impelled to rise to the exaltation of his subject. 
 It was English in theme, and he desired to make 
 it thoroughly English on the manly grip of its 
 music. He continued his work when he followed 
 Ms " children " to Biarritz. His daughter Yictoire, 
 an accomplished musician, a good judge, and, 
 
 s 
 
258 BALFE. 
 
 naturally a great admirer of her father's genius, 
 in a letter to her mother describes her impres- 
 sions of the music in words that exhibited the 
 accuracy of her criticism when in after-years the 
 opera was placed upon the stage, though neither 
 she nor her father could share in the delight of the 
 public at the beauty of the work. 
 
 "I wish his lovely opera could be given this 
 year ; it is beautiful ! I reallj' think his very lest 
 — such melodies, such a song for the Tenor, quite 
 schwdrmerisch / Such a duet for the Prima Donna 
 and Tenor, such an old-fashioned popular melody 
 for Blondel ! such a March ! such a grand prayer, 
 and such a lovely bit of organ ! Ah ! it really is 
 delicious ! The libretto is really interesting, and 
 there is no vulgar talking on the stage, all recita- 
 tive. Fancy all the beautiful costumes of the 
 crusaders quite grand." 
 
 All the points mentioned by the Duchess de 
 Frias, excepting Blondel's song, which was omitted 
 in the representation, were noted by the public as 
 the most remarkable in the opera. 
 
 Balfe completed the work with the exception of 
 a portion of the scoring, and the finale. His idea 
 
BALFE. 259 
 
 was to make a grand coup de theatre for the con- 
 elusion, in wMcli the ships of the European armies 
 were to be shown. For the right ordering of this 
 finale he intended consulting his friend Dion 
 -Boucicault when he returned home to Eowney. 
 Such pleasures as could be enjoyed out of doors 
 Balf e indulged in when he stayed with his " chil- 
 dren " at Biarritz. His daughter, who knew how 
 necessary it was for him to be careful of his 
 health, watched over him like a mother, and often 
 exercised the right of a loving parent when she 
 deemed it necessary. Here as at home he was 
 passionately fond of fishing. He had planned an 
 excursion with a friend, but his daughter per- 
 suaded him to break his engagement on account 
 of his health, which he did by writing the follow- 
 ing characteristic letter: — 
 
 " Biarritz, Thursday morning. 
 "Mt Deae O'Shea, 
 
 " The man whose signature is affixed 
 to this letter is suffering under a smarting com- 
 plaint. Poor fellow possesses a daughter who is a 
 grandee of Spain, who so far forgot her grandezza 
 
260 BALIE. 
 
 last night as to (I blush in being obliged to say 
 it) call her affectionate male parent a DONKEY,, 
 merely because he said he was going to fish with 
 Bill O'Shea. She refused to grant a vehicle of 
 locomotion even with one quadruped attached, and 
 finished by saying that if her father persisted in 
 going to the Negresse, that the crime would be of a 
 blacker dye than she could find a name for. What 
 do you think of my paternal position ? Under 
 the circumstances I think it better to reverse the 
 order of things, and obey my child. Alas ! she 
 fears her dad would catch cold and not fish. 
 " Hoping to see you in the course of the day, 
 "I remain, 
 
 " Tour unhappy friend, 
 " M. W. Balfe, 
 " Composer of 'Marble Hall.' " 
 
 On his way through Paris he called upon St. 
 Georges, who heard portions of the opera sung by 
 Madame Mlsson, who was engaged to sing in 
 London and desired to create the part of Edith,, 
 urged him to bring out the opera on the stage at 
 Paris. Balfe, flattered at the memory of past 
 
irniLi s s fflw 
 
BALFB. 261 
 
 iriumphs which the invitation implied, declined on 
 the ground that he intended the opera for England 
 first. It was an English subject treated in an 
 English form, but if it was successful it might be 
 heard in due course in Paris. St. Georges bade 
 him au revoir, and not farewell, for he believed 
 that ere long his countrymen would offer a hearty 
 welcome to himself and his music on the stage 
 once more. 
 
 For nearly two years Balfe lived a happy and 
 quiet life at Rowney, occupying himself with his 
 last opera, which he completed' all but the finale, 
 and with making rather than creating music. 
 The severe winter of the years 1867-8 tried him 
 sorely, and so soon as he was strong enough to 
 bear the fatigue of a journey, he started for a 
 short trip on the Continent in March of the latter 
 year. Many changes had occurred in his life and 
 surroundings in the short period since he was in 
 Paris for the first time, to which place he turned 
 by an instinct of gratitude and preference. 
 
 Before he started he completed a sonata for 
 pianoforte and violoncello, and a trio for violin, 
 violoncello, and pianoforte. These two charming 
 
262 BALFE. 
 
 works he began in 1866, and completed at his 
 leisure. The sonata was played by Piatti for 
 whom it was written with Miss Agnes Zimmer- 
 mann at a Saturday popular concert at St. James's 
 Hall, on the 22nd March, 1879. The trio had 
 been presented two years before, on the 17th 
 March, 1877, with Miss Marie Krebs, Herr 
 Joachim, and Signor Piatti as the executants. 
 Of the sonata, it was said, "Had Balfe lived 
 longer, he might, with facility and advantage, 
 have devoted more leisure to this form of composi- 
 tion. His early studies led him to it, and in the 
 midst of his successful career as a writer of operas 
 his thoughts must have often wandered back in 
 that direction. His trio and sonata are proofs of 
 it." 
 
 Of the trio, the same competent hand, that of 
 Mr. J. W. Davison, writes : " That our late valued 
 countryman, Michael William Balfe, should have 
 composed instrumental music for the chamber can 
 surprise no one. In his early youth Balfe was an 
 excellent performer on the violin. He also played 
 the violoncello, and, it need scarcely be added, the 
 pianoforte. Why then, familiar as he was with 
 
BALFB. 263 
 
 each instrument, should he not have written a trio 
 for pianOj violin, and violoncello?" 
 
 The sonata consists of three movements, namely, 
 an " Allegro " in A flat major, an " Adagio " in P 
 minor, and an " Allegro vivace " in A flat major. 
 The trio has four movements, an " Allegro " in A 
 major, an "Adagio" in E major, a "Scherzo" 
 allegro in trio A major, and an " Allegro " (finale) 
 A major. Both works exhibit Balfe's love for 
 melody, and for the shapely graces of the old 
 classical school. Both these works have been pub- 
 lished. 
 
 The sonata he also arranged for violin, and in 
 that form he was wont to play it with his daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. Behrend, at Eowney Abbey, who with 
 her sister, the Duchess de Erias, in days gone by 
 had been a pupil of Davison and Sterndale Ben- 
 nett. Balfe also wrote several smaller pieces for 
 the pianoforte which have not been printed. He 
 wrote for Signor Minasi, the flute player, a con- 
 certo for his instrument, one version of which was 
 printed and published in Paris. 
 
 His visit to Paris was partly for his health and 
 partly on business. M. Caivalho, then lessee of 
 
264 BALFE, 
 
 the Theatre Lyrique, proposed to bring out "La 
 Bohemienne," and had opened negotiations with 
 Balfe. On the 19th of March, 1868, he left 
 Dover, arrived in Paris in the evening, found his 
 daughter, the Duchess de Frias, waiting for him 
 at the station. On the morrow he called upon his 
 friend St. Georges, and upon Gerard, and in the 
 evening was present at a performance of the 
 " Hamlet " of Amhroise Thomas, Mdlle. Nilsson 
 and M. Faure sustaining the chief parts. Mne 
 years before, on the same date, he had witnessed 
 the first performance of Gounod's "Faust," and 
 was delighted with the success the opera gained. 
 He had seen it in its progress towards completion at 
 the house of Madame Zimmermann, the mother-in- 
 law of Gounod, and predicted a great future for it. 
 The arrangements for the production of "La 
 Boh6mienne " were made with Carvalho; and re- 
 hearsals were undertaken and commenced. Balfe 
 heard the tenor proposed for the opera sing the part 
 of Lionel in " Martha," but " could not accept 
 him." The prima donna selected was Mdlle. Marie 
 Marimon. From various causes needless to specify 
 the performance was not given at that time. 
 
BALFE. 265 
 
 Balfe remained in Paris for a few months, and 
 had some conversation with De Leuwen, one of 
 the authors of " Las Qaatre Fils Aymou," about a 
 new opera, which, however, was not to be written. 
 
 Time went on, and Carvalho, yielding to the 
 pressure of many troubles, relinquished the direc- 
 torship of the " Theatre Lyrique," and Pasdeloup, 
 who reigned in his stead, wrote to Balfe at the 
 suggestion of Mr. de St. Georges, and asked 
 Balfe to consent to an arrangement whereby he 
 might open the theatre with " La Boh^mienne " 
 at the end of the year 1869. 
 
 The " old girl," as Balfe was wont to speak of 
 the opera, had been given a few months before at 
 Eouen, under the direction of St. Georges, who 
 had written the French version ; the conductor 
 being Massenet, who has since made himself 
 famous by several important compositions. The 
 author of the book was called for again and again 
 to accept compliments intended for himself as well 
 as for the composer. 
 
 On the 30th of December Balfe writes, " 'La, 
 Boh^mienne ' was produced in Paris at Theatre 
 Lyrique first time. A great and genuine success." 
 
266 BALFE. 
 
 An entirely different company of artists was now 
 attached to the theatre, and a little delay arose at 
 the outset because Balf e had heard a new and pro- 
 mising young vocalist, Mdlle. Marie Eoze, who 
 was at that time a pupil of Wartel. Her voice 
 was fresh and resonant, and her youth and the 
 grace of her personal qualifications made her, in 
 all respects, such a one as would be in every way 
 fitted for the part of Arline. Her master was un- 
 willing, however, to permit her to undertake any 
 importa.nt character on the stage so soon, so it was- 
 decided to engage Madame Breunel-Lafleur, arid 
 she created an extraordinary excitement by her 
 splendid singing and acting. The part of the- 
 Queen of the Gipsies was '^ written up" for 
 Madame Wertenheimer, who also covered herself 
 with honour by her performance. The mise en 
 scene was elaborately arranged, and the book and 
 plans were published for future guidance. Balfe 
 rewrote the whole of the scoring, and added some 
 new and fresh ballet music which especially 
 pleased the Parisians. 
 
 More than a quarter of a century had passed 
 away since the opera was written, and also since 
 
BALFB. 267 
 
 Balfe had made his first success with " Le Puits 
 d' Amour." There were maay present at the per- 
 formance of " La Bohemienne " who remembered 
 the pleasure with which they had welcomed the 
 early essay of one who was acknowledged to be 
 still a master in his craft ; the greatest among 
 modem English musicians, worthy to rank with 
 the most favoured among French composers. The 
 favour thus accorded to him by the unanimous 
 vote of those whose business it is to guide pubUc 
 opinion was on this occasion only the faithful echo 
 of that opinion pronounced by the public. 
 
 Scarcely had the opera ceased to run when a 
 more tangible honour awaited him. On the 22nd 
 . of Marchj 1870, Balfe enters in his diary — ^happily- 
 saved from the destruction to which he usually 
 doomed such records — " Received official notice of 
 the Emperor having conferred upon me the de- 
 coration of the Legion d'Honneur." Li a line 
 below and apart are the words, "Monsieur le 
 Chevalier ! ! ! " as though he was trying the effect 
 the sentence would produce upon his eye, and 
 made the endeavour to accustom himself to thfr 
 sight of his new name. On the 13th of April 
 
268 BALFE, 
 
 following, tlie Eegent of Spain sent from Madrid 
 a notification of his appointment as Commander of 
 the Order of Charles III. In May he was still 
 suffering from the effects of a severe attack of 
 bronchitis, which had wearied him through the 
 ■winter, and he returned home to Eowney to rest. 
 The air of Eowney restored him for a while. The 
 happy days he had passed in his rural retreat were 
 not to be wholly renewed. His mind dwelt upon 
 the loss of his daughter, Mrs. Behrend, his much- 
 loved " Gigia." The whole world had changed for 
 him, but he seemed outwardly to bear the same 
 brave spirit as of old, and to enjoy his rest, and 
 the invigorating air of the place his " darling wife 
 had made so beautiful" for him. "When the autamn 
 came, the serious reality of his bodily weakness 
 was revealed to all but to himself. In September 
 he caught cold, and his complaint — spasmodic 
 asthma — was renewed with great violence. He 
 recovered, however, for a while, only to suffer in 
 greater proportion afterwards. It was hoped that 
 while he was for a time better, a change to a more 
 genial climate might help him to grow stronger, 
 
BALFE. 269* 
 
 at all events to prolong his life or relieve his 
 suffering. 
 
 A sudden change alarmed all around him ; his 
 old friend Dr. Williams came quickly to see him. 
 All human hope was vain. Soon after noon on the 
 20th of October his sufferings were at an end, and 
 his once busy brain was for ever at rest. 
 
 His old friend and literary confrere, Edward, 
 ritzball, thus sang his threnody : — 
 
 MICHAEL WILLIAM BALPE. 
 
 Dear sunny Balfe ! and is he dead ? 
 
 And all the golden moments fled 
 
 In which this joyous child of song 
 
 Glided life's sparkling stream along, 
 
 And touched the chords of Music's lyro 
 
 With genial and poetic fire, 
 
 So beautifully sweet to hear, 
 
 That kings bent down a listening ear, 
 
 And nations wafted to the skies 
 
 The fragrance of his melodies ! 
 
 Yes : he is gone ! and many a day 
 
 In Music's span must pass away 
 
 Ere such another gifted hand 
 
 " The light of other days '' command, 
 
 Or sanctify at fancy's calls 
 
 The fairy dreams of " Marble Halls." 
 
 Strew o'er his grave the choicest flowers 
 From rosy banks of dewy bowers ; 
 Or if no drop of dew appears. 
 They will not lack a people's tears 
 To shed o'er them a bright relief 
 From hearts oppressed with earnest grief. 
 
■270 BALFE. 
 
 It was not MuBic's spell alone, 
 Which claimed our Balte as all her own. 
 For he had manhood's merits too 
 Suoh as fill up the hearts of few : 
 The generons soul ; the gentle word ; 
 The noblest feelings in accord. 
 He knew no enTy — grudged no pains 
 To amplify a brother's gains. 
 
 Bury him in some leafy dale 
 Where sings at eve the nightingale, 
 Or where at dawn the lark on high 
 Peals its soft tribute from the sty, 
 Floating o'er one who liked the song 
 Of summer birds : all Nature's throng 
 To charm, as, in Arcadian days. 
 The vales and mountains with his lays, 
 Notes of Apollo. 
 
 Best, Baipe, rest. 
 Than thine ne'er throbbed a kinder breast ; 
 'Others may come with skill as great. 
 But hardly one to emulate 
 A soul like thine : to blazon forth, 
 At once, mind, genius, taste, and worth. 
 
CHAPTEE XX. 
 
 1870— 1876. 
 
 The news of his death fell with heavy blow upon 
 all the musical world. Many of his confreres 
 strove to give expression to their regret at his de- 
 parture. The public felt that they had lost a dear 
 and valued friend. All those who had known him 
 seemed to be overweighted with grief. The ceme- 
 tery at Eensal Green was filled with friends all 
 mourning. It was a consolation to them to recall 
 their remembrance o£ his kind heart, his manly 
 spirit, his generous and thoughtful care for the 
 best interests of all with whom he came in con- 
 tact. 
 
 When in time his heart-broken widow placed a 
 simple monumental stone over his grave to mark 
 Ms remains, men began to rouse themselves, and 
 to inquire of each other the reason they had not 
 thought to pay greater honour to the memory 
 of one who had done so much for the elevation of 
 the art he professed and the profession to which 
 
272 BALFE. 
 
 he belonged. Had his years been occupied with.- 
 those pursuits which bring misery and desolation 
 in their train, none would hare denied his right to- 
 be recognised in the manner usual with such 
 heroes after his death. 
 
 He lies in the same " campo santo " with Bishop, 
 Wallace, Lover, Goss, and others whose names will 
 " live for evermore." 
 
 His life was spent in the exercise of peaceful 
 arts, and his genius has brought pleasure and 
 even happiness wherever his works were known. 
 His body should have rested in the time-honoured 
 abbey of Westminster. It was too late to seek 
 that distinction now, but it was not too late to 
 ask permission to place a tablet on the walls of 
 the building, that posterity might know that his 
 contemporaries had not been ungrateful, or un- 
 mindful of his genius. 
 
 A memorial was signed by a number of in- 
 fluential persons of all ranks in the social and 
 artistic world, and presented to the Dean of West- 
 minster, Dr. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley. He duly 
 acknowledged the receipt of the memorial, and 
 stated his intention of finding a place for the pro- 
 
BALFE. 273 
 
 posed tablet wlien he returned home after the 
 holiday he was about to take. The memorialists 
 ■waited in silence, and in not a little anxiety, for 
 a long time for a communication from the Dean. 
 When some four years had elapsed it was deemed 
 expedient to present a reminder in the form of a 
 second letter on the subject. This was signed by 
 Bis Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, 
 President of the Eoyal Academy of Music, Dub- 
 lin, the Duke of Abercorn, the Lord Mayor of 
 Dublin, the Archbishop of Armagh, the Arch- 
 bishop of Dublin, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, 
 the Duke of Leinster, the Bishop of Limerick, 
 the Bishop of Derry, the Dean of St. Patrick's, 
 Dean MacDonnell, the Master of the Polls, Vis- 
 count Monck, and the Eev. Lord O'Mell. Mr.. 
 Hercules MacDonnell was the secretary. 
 Dean Stanley's reply was as follows : — 
 
 Deanert, Westminster, 
 
 22nd June, 1873:. 
 Mt dear Sir, 
 
 I beg to acknowledge the Address which I have had the 
 tonour to receive from you, signed by His Eoyal Highness the 
 Duke of Edinburgh and other distinguished persons, with a letter 
 from yourself, dated June 8th, in reference to the erection of a 
 Monumental Tablet in Westminster Abbey, in memory of the late 
 Mi. Balfe. 
 
 T 
 
274 BALFE. 
 
 I have delayed to reply, partly from ateence in the conntry, 
 partly from the desire to give full consideration to the reqnest 
 contained in the Memorial and in your letter. 
 
 With every wish to accede to a desire so forcibly expressed, 
 and supported by so many eminent names, I am compelled to 
 adhere to the same answer which I have already given on more 
 than one occasion in reference to this and similar applications — 
 that I cannot, in consideration of the limited space in the Abbey 
 and its Cloisters, and of the demands of those who shall come 
 after us, admit, unless in exceptional cases, the increase of Ceno- 
 taphs, until I have received from the Government the assurance 
 that the accommodation for such monuments will be enlarged, so 
 as to give additional room for their suitable erection. 
 
 I have been led to hope that such assurance will be given, 
 but I have not yet been able to succeed in obtaining it ; and 
 you will, therefore, understand that I am, for the present, de- 
 barred from acceding to a request which it would have given me 
 so much pleasure to satisfy, both from the desire to meet the 
 wishes of the distinguished persons who have applied and also to 
 render honour to a gifted native of the Sister Island. 
 I beg to remain, my dear Sir, 
 
 Tours faithfully, 
 
 Akthue p. Stanley. 
 
 To Hercules MacDonnell, Esq., J.P., &c. 
 
 Meanwhile Balfe's name was once more brought 
 pleasantly before the public by the production of 
 his opera, " The Knight of the Leopard," on the 
 stage of Drury Lane Theatre by Mr. Mapleson, 
 the son of the generous old copyist of the theatre. 
 Madame Christine Nilsson had kept her word to 
 Balfe, and sang in the opera she admired so much 
 in Paris, but it was not in English, but in Italian, 
 The opera was now called " II Talismano," and . 
 
BALFB. 275 
 
 the translation from the original tongue was made 
 by Signor Guiseppe Zaffira most elegantly. It was 
 promised for the season of 1873, but was produced 
 on the 11th of June, 1874. 
 
 This opera was received by the whole press with 
 delight. The success was instant and signal. The 
 notice in the Times newspaper a day or two follow- 
 ing the performance conveyed the views of musi- 
 cians and of the public, 
 
 "The predictions of those who believed in a 
 genuine success for Balfe's posthximous opera are 
 fully justified by the result. It has been given 
 five times within a short period, and a sixth per- 
 formance is announced. That ' II Talismano ' is 
 destined to become one of the most generally 
 attractive of its composer's works there cannot, in 
 our opinion, be a doubt. It contains a more than 
 usually liberal share of those characteristic melo- 
 dies which proclaim Balfe's individuality, and to 
 which, in a great measure, he owed his wide ac- 
 ceptance as, after his manner, the operatic Eng- 
 lish composer of his day. 
 
 " Among them are ' Placida Notte ' (' Edith's 
 .Prayer '), sung by Madame Christine Nilsson ; 
 
276 BALPB. 
 
 'Candido Fiore' (the 'Eose Sotig'), and 'A 
 te coU'anre sera/ both by Signer Campanini ; ' La 
 Guerra Appena ' (' Eomance of Navarre '), the 
 'Canzona d'Evelina,' and 'Nella Dolce Trepi- 
 darga' — the first by Madame Marie Eoze, the 
 second and third by Madame Christine Mlsson. 
 These all bear the true stamp of their author, and' 
 some of them — the ' Eose Song ' especially, which 
 Mr. Sims Eeeves (for whom it was specially 
 written) introduced not long since at his benefit 
 at the Eoyal Albert Hall — are already making 
 their way into our concert rooms, where the name 
 of 'Balfe' has always exercised a spell. But 
 leaving the rest of the music to speak for itself, 
 there are other reasons why ' II Talismano ' is suc- 
 cessful. Four or five among the dramatis personoe 
 enjoy excellent opportunities for effect, which if 
 not taken advantage of, neither the author of the 
 libretto nor the author of the music can be blamed. 
 Fortunately the leading parts are in very com- 
 petent hands at Her Majesty's Opera. The chief 
 attraction, the life and soul of the performance, is 
 Madame Nilsson, who makes far more out of Edith 
 
BALFE. 277 
 
 Plantagenet. than at first sight could have ap- 
 peared possible. The popular Swedish songstress 
 gives the whole of her music in perfection, and 
 endows the character she has to assume with vivid 
 and natural life. The task voluntarily undertaken 
 by Madame Mlsson in order to serve our late com- 
 patriot has been fulfilled with unmistakable good- 
 will, and the applause which greets her on every 
 occasion is not solely due to the professional ex- 
 cellence displayed in a part she has evidently 
 studied con amore, but to another reason besides, 
 upon which, after what has been said, it would be 
 superfluous to dwell., How much interest Sir 
 Michael Oosta has taken in the preparation for 
 public performance of the last work of one with 
 whom he was on close terms of friendship is toler- 
 ably well known in musical circles. What im- 
 portance was attached by the management to the 
 production of ' II Talismano ' is seen by the way in 
 which it is placed upon the stage. Mr. W". Bever- 
 ley has contributed scenery which, though not 
 laid out on an unusually extensive scale, is pic- 
 turesque even for him, and the ' stage business ' is 
 
278 EALFE. 
 
 admirably cared for hy Mr. Stirling, who, not for 
 tlie first time, has been more or less directly con- 
 cerned in helping to get up an opera of Balfe's." 
 
 Mr. Desmond L. Ryan^ in an exhaustive tech- 
 nical and appreciative analysis of the opera, in- 
 serted in Kenney's "Memoir of Balfe," thus 
 estimates the work as a whole : — 
 
 "Looking at 'II Talismano' from the stand- 
 point of pure art, it will be found to depend upon 
 its intrinsic fund of pure, wholesome melody. . . . 
 The time, however, is perhaps not ripe for a just 
 estimate of Balfe's posthumous work to be made. 
 We have leanings towards the man, as well as for 
 or against the musician, which it must take a 
 long course of years to neutralize. But it will be 
 generally admitted and conceded that ' II Talis- 
 mano,' albeit a departure from his accepted school 
 of composition, was one of Balfe's happiest and 
 soundest efPorts, and the form, artistically speak- 
 ing, is as much superior to his earlier productions 
 in opera as Beethoven's ' Eroica ' symphony is an 
 advance upon his first. Balfe did not live to see 
 his best ideas realized, but the very existence of 
 ' II Talismano ' proves that he was not only a man. 
 
BALFE. 279 
 
 -who moved with, the timeSj but that he had the apt 
 discrimination to choose between the salutary and 
 meretricious qualities of the modern school of music. 
 'II TalismanOj' in the abstract, was but an experi- 
 ment in a new field of lyric composition ; as such it 
 enlists our sympathies, and commands our admira- 
 tion. The opera is a wholesome and forcible 
 dramatic work, and the latent power which it re- 
 veals renders our respect the stronger, and our 
 sorrow the more poignant that its gifted composer 
 was not spared us to make still _greater efforts in 
 the same direction." 
 
 Without despairing to obtain ultimately the 
 national recognition of Balfe's genius by the erec- 
 tion of a tablet in Westminster Abbey, his friends, 
 determined to place a memorial in some other suit- 
 able spot. Mr. T. Chappell, Mr. C. L. Gruneisen, 
 and Mr, Dion Boucicault formed a committee, and 
 a sufficient amount of money was raised to help 
 the project. It was proposed to erect a statue, 
 and the commission to execute this was entrusted 
 to M, Malempre, a Belgian sculptor, who ac- 
 quitted himself of the task in a most satisfactory 
 manner. The statue was placed, in company with 
 
280 BALrE. 
 
 those of Edmund Kean, David Garriclr, and 
 Shakespeare, in the vestibule of Drury Lane 
 Theatre, vfhere the genius of Balfe had been most 
 fully revealed and highly honoured. 
 
 The ceremony of unveiling the statue took 
 place on Friday, the 25th of September, 1874, in 
 the presence of a completely representative assem- 
 bly — Lord Alfred Paget, Sir George Armitage, 
 Baron Rothschild, Sir Michael Costa, Messrs. 
 Gruneisen, G. A. Macfarren, F. Puzzi, Chattertou, 
 Creswick, J. W . Davisou, "W. D. Davison, Lazarus, 
 Maycock, T. Chappell, Matthison, Eaphael Costa, 
 Emanuel Garcia, the brother of Malibran, George 
 Osborne, August Manns, Brinley Richards, Charles 
 Santley, George Honey, Charles Lyall, C. L. 
 Kenney, Joseph Bennett, W. Ganz, J. Fernandez, 
 T. Graves, Thomas Oliphant, Andrew Halliday, 
 John Hollingshead, G. A. Sala, Michael Williams, 
 Edward Falconer, Henry Phillips, and others. 
 
 Mr. Gruneisen, as the secretary, explained that 
 in the unavoidable absence of Mr. Boucicault and 
 Sir Julius Benedict, he had been called upon to 
 take the chair, and this gave him the oppor- 
 tunity of referring to Balfe's unprecedented 
 
BAI.EE. 281 
 
 • career as a composer. He also mentioned with, 
 pride that this was the first time a statue had 
 been raised to any native musical composer in 
 England. 
 
 " The speaker addressed himself to sympathetic 
 hearers whenever he dwelt upon the genius of him 
 whom they had met to honour, and the close of 
 his remarks was followed by applause. The duty 
 ■of unveiling the statue having been offered to, and 
 accepted by, Sir Michael Costa, that gentleman 
 stepped forward and removed the curtain. A mo- 
 ment of silent inspection followed the act, and 
 then a round of cheering marked the approval of 
 the critical assembly, most of whom had known 
 Balfe well. The statue, which is about seven feet 
 in height, represents the master in the act of com- 
 position, holding a manuscript in the left hand 
 and a pen in the right. Nothing is wanting of 
 ease and grace in the pose of the figure, the ex- 
 pression of the countenance is refined and pleas- 
 ing, while dignity and breadth of outline are 
 secured by the artistically arranged folds of the 
 cloak, worn so as to leave the right shoulder and 
 arm free." 
 
282 BALFE. 
 
 Nearly two years after the statue was set in its 
 place, a Balfe festival was given at the Alexandra 
 Palace on Muswell Hill, the object of which was 
 to raise a fund to endow a scholarship in the 
 name of the popular composer at the Eoyal Aca- 
 demy of Music, an institution for which Balfe- 
 always expressed a great amount of sympathy and 
 interest. 
 
 The committee who made the arrangements for 
 the festival included the Principal of the E,oyal 
 Academy of Music, Dr. Macfarren, and other 
 gentlemen of position in the musical world. The 
 day fixed was the 29th of July, 1 876, and as may 
 be expected music formed a special feature of the 
 proceedings. Mr. Frederic Archer, then the 
 organist of the Palace, had been very active in Ms 
 help on the committee, played in his own inimita- 
 ble style on the large organ a selection from 
 " The Bondman," " The Eose of Castille," 
 " Blanche de Severs," " Catherine Grey,"" 
 " Joan of Arc," " Mazeppa," and " The Puritan^s 
 Daughter." At the concert Madame Christine 
 Nilsson, Madame Eose Hersee, Madame Marie 
 Eoze, Miss Enriquez, Mr. Maybrick, Mr. H.. 
 
BALPE. 283- 
 
 Eeynolds, and Mr. Edward Lloyd, with an 
 orchestra and chorus performed selections from 
 "II Talismano," "The Maid of Artois," "Fal- 
 staff/' "The Enchantress," "The Maid of 
 Honour," and "The Siege of Eochelle," under 
 the direction of Sir Michael Costa; "The 
 Bohemian Girl" was represented in the theatre 
 with Mr. H. Weist Ilill as conductor, and a 
 military band also played pieces by Balfe in the 
 gardens and elsewhere several times during the 
 day. There was no lack of variety or contrast in 
 the works, for all that the name of the composer 
 appended to the list showed an unbroken uni- 
 formity. The festival was a success artistically 
 and financially, and the Balfe scholarship was 
 founded, and the great musician's name was per- 
 petuated in the Academy after a manner which, 
 would have fully commended itself to. him had he 
 been alive. His sympathies were always with the 
 institution which in his youth he had desired to- 
 enter, but had, it appears, done nothing more- 
 beyond putting his name down for admission. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 1876—1882. 
 
 The example set by England in erecting a monu- 
 ment to Balfe in tlie recognised national theatre 
 Drurj Lane and otherwise commemorating his 
 genius was shortly afterwards followed in Ireland. 
 One of the leading Irish journals in commenting 
 upon the action done in London^ says : — " The 
 name of Michael Balfe, one of the brightest that 
 has illuminated the pages of musical history in 
 the England of our day^ is dear to every lover of 
 art in the country that gave him birth. We trust 
 that at no distant period a fitting memorial of his 
 exalted genius, will be erected in the Irish 
 metropolis side by side with those of Burke and 
 Goldsmith ; men, who like him, brought the best 
 gifts of their brilliant minds, and the warm 
 fervour of their Irish hearts to the service of the 
 sister isle, but at the same time it seems congenous 
 that the country in which he passed the greater 
 part of his public life, for whose music he has done 
 
BALTE. 285 
 
 SO muchj whose national opera he helped to 
 establish and adorn, to whose musical archives he 
 has given such works, as ' The Rose of Castille/ 
 and ' The Bohemian Girl,' should take heed to 
 honour the memory of the dead musician, upon 
 whose living brow no one of the crowns with which 
 royalty rewards genius was placed." 
 
 Following this suggestion a " Balfe Memorial 
 Committee " was formed, and ajUeot of Balfe was 
 placed in the National Gallery in Dublin on the 
 6th of July, 1878, near to the busts of other 
 illustrious Irishmen, Archbishop Murray, Thomas 
 Moore, the poet, Maclise, the painter, Curran and 
 Shiel, the famous orators. The bust of Balfe, an 
 elegant piece of workmanship and spirited likeness 
 was executed by Thomas Farrell, R.H.A. Owing 
 to the iUness of the Duke of Leinster, Sir Bernard 
 Burke, Ulster King-at-Arms, presided. Mr. Her- 
 cules MacDonnell read the report of the sub- 
 committee which stated that the balance of the 
 money collected would be appropriated to the 
 foundation of a prize for the composition of a song, 
 by a musician of Irish birth. 
 
 Sir Robert P. Stewart the amiable and talented 
 
"286 BALFE. 
 
 Professor of Music in Trinity College, Dublin, also 
 gave three lectures on " Irisli music and musicians 
 ending with Balfe," in the Ancient Concert Rooms 
 in Dublin on the 29th May, the 5th and 12th of 
 June in the same year, and devoted the proceeds 
 to the erection of a memorial window in St. 
 Patrick's Cathedral. This was uncovered by her 
 Grace the Duchess of Marlborough, on the 14th 
 April, 1879. 
 
 The window was designed and made by Ballan- 
 tine and Son, of Edinburgh, and represents Erin 
 leaning upon a harp — modelled from the harp of 
 Brian Boroimhe preserved in Trinity College, — and 
 crowning the bust of the Museum. She is attired 
 in a white robe, with a broad green mantle, and 
 wears a tearful countenance, typical of Ireland's 
 grief at the death of Balfe. 
 
 The following is the inscription: — "In memory 
 of Michael William Balfe, born in Dublin, May 
 1 5th, 1808 ; died at Eowney Abbey, Hertfordshire, 
 October 20th, 1870; the most celebrated, genial, 
 and beloved of Irish musicians. Erected April, 
 1879, by R. P. Stewart, Ent., Mus. D., one of the 
 Vicars Choral." 
 
J,^ P-^TT^ICIfJ C/fTf^ED^J)t,I)lJSLIfl' 
 
BALPE. 287 
 
 Upon the front of the house, No. 10, Pitt Street, 
 a tablet of marble has been placed by the occupant' 
 Mr. John Logan, a practical musician himself, 
 and a great admirer of Balfe's talents. This 
 records the fact that : — " In this house M. W. 
 Balfe was born, 1808." 
 
 All these worthy efforts to commemorate the 
 genius of one who had brought honour to the craft 
 to which he belonged, were most gratifying. Their 
 value was recognised on all sides. By those who 
 desired to show to posterity the estimation in 
 Avhich Balfe was held, and by those who believed 
 that an equally good monument was erected in the 
 hearts of all who loved his music, a more 
 -enduring record was still asked, and the fulfilment 
 of the promise made by Dean Stanley was 
 anxiously looked for. Before he was able to 
 fulfil his promise, society and the whole civilised 
 world had to mourn his loss, and the promise 
 lie had made remained unaccomplished. When 
 Dr. Bradley was appointed and installed Dean 
 of Westminster in the room of Dean Stanley, 
 the application was renewed, at a time, as it was 
 considered, that was singularly opportune. 
 
288 BALFE. 
 
 The Prince of Wales following in the footsteps 
 of his illustrions father, expressed his desire to see 
 a National School of Music founded in this 
 country. This project naturally directed attention 
 to the few great musicians England had nurtured.. 
 Of these Balfe was the chief. With the exception 
 of the statue in Drury Lane there was no honour 
 paid to his memory in England. His face and 
 name were not admitted to rank with the eminent 
 Englishmen commemorated on the monument to- 
 the Prince Consort in Hyde Park. Sterndale- 
 Bennett, a representatiye musician in a different 
 style of art to that practised by Balfe, was also for- 
 gotten. Sir Henry Bishop's features alone was 
 figured forth as representing the champions of 
 modern native music. 
 
 There was probahly no wilful desire to ignore 
 the claims of musicians to a place on a monument 
 to one who all his life loved the art, and honoured 
 its professors, but tliere was no advocate whose 
 voice was powerful enough to be heard in pre- 
 ferring the claim at the time. 
 
 The professors of the Universities, the organists, 
 of the several English cathedrals, other musicians- 
 
BALFE. 289 
 
 eminent in various departments of the artj once 
 more sought to be heard on behalf of a musician 
 whose genius they all honoured. An address 
 couched in the following terms, was presented to 
 the Dean of Westminster, preceded by a statement 
 of the reasons for making the request : — 
 
 Balfe was the first British Composer to elevate the English 
 Lyric Drama to a high position in this Coantry ; so was he also 
 the first native subject who was able to compete on the Continent 
 with foreign Composers, and produce in France, Germany, Italy 
 and Spain, the works of a British Musician. His prolific creative 
 power is best proved by the published list of the works produced 
 in England and on the Continent. Balfe wrote twenty-nine 
 Operas, three of them to French text for original production in 
 Paris, five to Italian librettos and the other twenty-one to English 
 words. Not only did he write these twenty-nine Lyrical Diamas, 
 but he produced them successfully. To this record of inventive 
 industry, may be added his celebrated setting of many of Long- 
 fellow's Poems, three Cantatas, countless songs, and other com. 
 positions. His melodies have not only cheered every homestead 
 in Britain, but have become so popular that they may be called 
 National. In the Colonies and in the United States, the name of 
 Balfe is as much a household word as in the heart of London, 
 equal, as a Musician, to Dickens, as a Novelist, if the widest 
 popularity counts as a test. 
 
 Balfe was the Champion of English Musical Art, not only at 
 home, but abroad. Ic was his peculiar province to support the 
 dignity of English Dramatic Composition on the Continent, and 
 to prove that the possession of executive and creative faculties 
 in the same individual is by no means incompatible. Such a 
 career as that of Balfe is rare and unprecedented in the Kingdom, 
 and it will be through his genius and that of such as follow him, 
 that our eountrymen will, sooner or later, be compelled to re- 
 linquish the prevalent prejudice against English Musical 
 capability. 
 
 W 
 
290 BALFB. 
 
 His genius was honoured by Toreign Potentates. In. France 
 he was made Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur ; in Spain he was 
 created Commendatore of the Order of Carlo III. 
 
 As there now exists a disposition to foster native talent and to 
 encourage it to its full development, it seems to be both right 
 and proper that future generations should be able to note with 
 pride, that English genius was not unmarked and unregarded by 
 those living in the present time. 
 
 In the belief that his talents brought honour to the Country, 
 and that his name deserves to be nationally recorded, it is pro- 
 posed to send the following Memorial to The Very Eeverend the 
 Dean of Westminster, which has been signed by the Professors of 
 Music in the Universities, by eminent Conductors, heads of 
 Musical Educational establishments, and by a majority of the 
 Organists of the Cathedrals in the United Kingdom. 
 
 May 4th, 1882. 
 Veky Eevekend Sik, 
 
 We, whose names are appended hereto, desire 
 to add our testimony to the claim of Michael William Balfe 
 as a representative National Composer ; and to express our 
 earnest hope that you will accede to the request to allow a Tablet 
 to be placed in Westminster Abbey, to the memory of a Musician, 
 whose genius and achievements won for him, during his lifetime, 
 a high reputation, not only among his countrymen, but also upon 
 the Continent of Europe. 
 
 To the Very Eeverend Dean of Westminster. 
 Signed by — 
 
 PEEDK. A. GOEE OUSELET, Bart., M.A., Mus. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Precentor of Hereford, and Professor of 
 
 Music in the University of Oxford. 
 
 G. A. MACFAEEEN, M.A., Mus. Doc, Oxon., Mus. Doc, Cantab., 
 
 Principal of the Eoyal Academy of Music ; 
 
 Professor of Music in the University 
 
 of Cambridge. 
 
 EOBEET PEESCOTT STEWAET, Knight, Mus. Doc, Dnb., 
 
 Organist of Christ Church and St. Patrick's, 
 Dublin; Professor of Music, Trinity 
 College, Dublin. 
 
BALFE. 291 
 
 HEEBEET S. OAKELEY, Knight, M.A., Mas. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Professor of Music in the University of 
 Edinburgh. 
 GEORGE J. ELYEY, Knight, Mas. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of St. George's Chapel, Windsor. 
 -JOHN FEEDEEICK BRIDGE, Mus. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Permanent Deputy Organist of Westminster 
 Abbey. 
 JOHN STAINEE, M.A., Mus. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 GEORGE BENSON, Mus. Bac, Cantab., 
 
 Of Her Majesty's Chapel Eoyal, and 
 Westminster Abbey. 
 GEOEGE 11. GAEEETT, M.A., Mus. Doc, Cantab., 
 St. John's College, Cambridge. 
 JAMES TAYLOE, Mus. Bac, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of New College ; Organist of the 
 University of Oxford. 
 WALTEE PAEEATT, Mus. Bac, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of Magdalen College, Oxford. 
 
 W. HOWELL ALLCHIN, Mus. Bac, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of St. John's College, Oxford. 
 
 THOMAS H, COLLINSON, Mus. Bac, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of the Cathedral, Edinburgh. 
 
 PHILIP AEMES, Mus. Doc, Oxon , 
 
 Organist of Durham Cathedral, and Pro. 
 f essor of Music in the University. 
 
 JOHN DUNNE, Mus. Doc, Dub., 
 
 Vicar Choral, St. Patrick's. 
 
 MICHAEL COSTA, Knight. 
 
 WILLIAM GEORGE CUSINS, 
 
 Conductor of the Philharmonic Society 
 Master of Her Majesty's Music. 
 
 JOSEPH BABNBY, 
 
 Conductor of the Albert Hall Choral 
 Society, and Conductor of the Music 
 at Eton College. 
 
292 BALFB. 
 
 GEORGE MOUNT, 
 
 Conductor of the Eoyal Albert Hall 
 Orchestral Society. 
 
 HENRY BILES, Mns. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Professor of Harmony, Owen's College, 
 Manchester. 
 
 HENRY WEIST HILL, 
 
 Principal of the Guildhall School of Music. 
 
 JOHN HULLAH, LL.D., 
 
 Her Majesty's Inspector of Music in 
 Training Schools. 
 
 HENRY WTLDE, Mns. Doc, Cantab., 
 
 Gresham Professor of Music ; Principal of 
 the London Academy of Music. 
 
 JOHN ELLA, 
 
 Pounder of the Musical Union ; Professor 
 of Music in the London Institution. 
 
 HENRY GADS BY, 
 
 Professor of Harmony, Queen's College,. 
 London. 
 
 CHARLES HARFORD LLOYD, M.A., Mus. Bac, Oxon., 
 Organist of Gloucester Cathedral. 
 
 J. C. MARKS, Mus. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of the Cathedral, Cork. 
 
 J. B. LOTT, Mus. Bac, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of the Cathedral, Lichfield. 
 
 ROLAND ROGERS, Mus. Doc, Oxon., 
 
 Organist of Bangor Cathedral. 
 
 CHARLES STEGGALL, Mua. Doc, Cantab., 
 Organist of Lincoln's Inn. 
 
 BURNHAM W. HORNER, P.R.S.L., 
 
 Assistant Organist, Chapel Royal, Hampton 
 Court. 
 
 EDWIN J. CROW, Mns. Doc, Cantab., 
 
 Organist of Ripon Cathedral. 
 
Wis TM If/s T£ 7^ AmB£ Y". 
 
BALFE. 293 
 
 LANGDON COLBOENE, Mus. Bao., Cantab., 
 
 Organist of Hereford CathedreJ. 
 
 EDWARD BUNNETT, Mus. Doc, Cantab., 
 
 Organist to the Corporation, Norwich. 
 
 JOSEPH C. BRIDGE, M.A., Mns. Bao., Oxon., 
 
 Organist of the Cathedral, Chester. 
 
 GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA. 
 
 WM. ALEX. BARRETT, Mus. Bao., Oxon., 
 
 Vicar Choral, St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 
 To this a favourable reply was receired, and the 
 Dean with the utmost courtesy and consideration 
 himself selected a place for the tablet, and in every 
 way exhibited the kindest and liveliest interest in 
 the matter. 
 
 The whole musical world recognised the honour 
 as one paid in a minor degree to Balfe, in a major 
 degree to all native musicians. The tablet was 
 placed in the north-west aisle, almost side by side 
 with the monuments to Henry Purcell, and Dr. 
 Samuel Arnold, close to the tomb of William 
 Stemdale Bennett, and opposite the monuments 
 of Dr. John Blow, and Dr. William Croft. 
 
 The tablet is of pure white Carrara marble. On 
 the lower panel is the inscription : — " Michael 
 William Balfe. Born in Dublin, the 15th of May, 
 1808, died at Eowney Abbey, Hertfordshire, the 
 
294 BALPE. 
 
 20tli of October^ 1870." On the moulding belo-nr 
 are the words : — " Knight of the Legion of 
 Honour of France, Commander of the Order of 
 Charles III., of Spain." Resting on the top of the 
 panel is an oval medallion portrait of Balfe. On 
 one side of the medallion are shown books of the 
 scores of ''The Talisman," and "The Bohemian 
 Girl." On the other side may be seen the ends of 
 some musical instruments of the oboe type, and a 
 page of a music book, opened at random as it were,. 
 at the song in " The Bohemian Girl." The words 
 exhibited convey their own application — 
 
 There may, perhaps, in such a scene 
 
 Some recollection be 
 Of days that once have happy been, 
 
 Then you'll remember me. 
 
 The tablet was unveiled on the twelfth anni- 
 versary of his death, the 20th of October, 1882. 
 During the afternoon service an anthem of his 
 composition, adapted to English words beginning 
 " Save me, God," from the " Gratias agimus," and 
 " Agnus Dei," written in 1846, was sung in the 
 place proper, and all that was arranged for that 
 day within those hallowed walls with reference to- 
 
BALFE. 295 
 
 Balfe was a fitting end to the earthly career of 
 one who found English operatic art comparatively 
 pooTj and left it absolutely rich, not only by the 
 possession of his own works, but also by those 
 produced in emulation of his example. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A coMPiETE list of Balfe's compositions would be 
 
 difficult, if not impossible, to compile. The only 
 catalogue he drew up is the following : — 
 
 1. I Eivali di se Stessi, Palermo ... ... 1829 
 
 2. Un ATvertimenti di Geloai, Pavia ... 1830 
 
 3. Enrico quarto al passo del Marno, Milano 1831 
 
 4. Siege of Eochelle 1835 
 
 B. Maid of Artois 1836 
 
 6. Catherine Grey 1837 
 
 7. Joan of Arc 1837 
 
 8. Diadeste 1838 
 
 9. Falstaff 1838 
 
 10. Keolanthe 1841 
 
 1 1. Le PuitB d'Amonr 1843 
 
 12. The BoheBiian Girl 1843 
 
 13. The Daughter of St. Mark 1844 
 
 14. Lea Quatre Fils Aymon ... ... 1844 
 
 15. The Enchantress 1845 
 
 16. L'Etoile de Seville 1845 
 
 17. The Bondman 1846 
 
 18. The Devil's in it 1847 
 
 19. The Maid of Honour 1847 
 
 20. The Sicilian Bride 1852 
 
 .^1. The Kose of Castille 1857 
 
 -22. Satanella 1858 
 
 .23. Bianca 1860 
 
 24. The Puritan's Daughter 1861 
 
 25. The Armourer of Nantes ... ... 1863 
 
 26. Pittore e Duca, Trieste 1856 
 
 27. Blanche de Nevers ... ... ... 
 
BALFE. 297 
 
 He has also produced several cantatas — one 
 written for Malibran in Paris, 1828, one for Grisi 
 in Bologna in 1830, tlie International Ode in 1851, 
 the Cantata for female Toices, written for the 
 .singers of the Opera, the dramatic Cantata 
 " Mazeppa," in 1860, besides the unperformed 
 operas of Atila, Elfrida, and the uncompleted and 
 untitled work begun in 1848. From the time 
 of the composition of the Polacca in 1815, 
 "Young Fanny " in 1817, to the year 1870, when 
 he wrote his last ballad, he gave to the world 
 more than 500 different songs, duets, and small 
 pieces, set to English, French, or Italian words. 
 A great number of these have been published, 
 .and have attained world-wide fame. A quantity 
 of lesser pieces written by him in the exercise of 
 his official duties as conductor and so forth can 
 never be counted, except as helping to swell the 
 xecord of his astonishing industry and fertility. 
 
 His labours in the cause of art are further shown 
 by the care and skill with which he produced for 
 the first time in England, among other operas, 
 while he was conductor at Her Majesty's Theatre, 
 Verdi's "Nino" or "Nabucco," his "Masna- 
 
298 BALFE, 
 
 dieri " — founded on Schiller's " Eobbers " — for 
 Jenny Lind, Halevy's " Tempesta," for Lablache 
 and Carlotta Grisi, libretto originally written by 
 Scribe for Mendelssohn, but declined by him, as 
 departing too much from the text of Shakespeare, 
 Thalberg's "Florinda" for Cruvelli, "'Pidelio" 
 for the first time on the Italian stage, and " Don 
 Giovanni/' in a style which had not been ap- 
 proached up to that time, and has never been 
 equalled since. 
 
 Among the songs Balfe wrote which have be- 
 come popular to an unprecedented extent, and have- 
 exercised an extraordinary influence over the 
 popular mind, may be mentioned by way of re- 
 sume: "The Lover's Mistake," 1817; "Cottage 
 near Eochelle," 1835; "The Light of othei- 
 Days," 1836 ; " Look forth, my fairest," 1837 ; 
 " Might I march through life again," 1837 ; " My 
 bark is bounding near," 1838; "0 Qnal Gioia," 
 1838 ; " Andrea," 1841 ; "Marble Halls," « The 
 heart bowed down," " Then you'll remember me," 
 1843; "The Gondolier," "We may be happy 
 yet," 1844 ; " Child of the Sun," "It is not form, 
 it is not face," 1846; "In this old chair," 1847;; 
 
BALFB. 299' 
 
 "Come into the garden, Maud," " Good-niglit, 
 beloved," "The green trees," "The Muleteer," 
 1857; "The power of love," 1858; "They tell 
 me thou'rt the favoured guest," " The blighted 
 flower," "The Cantineer," "The Merry Zin- 
 gara," "Margaretta," "The Eose Song," and 
 many more less typical, besides such choral pieces 
 as " Vive le Eoi," " The Gipsies' Chorus," « The 
 Pirate Chorus," and others which will present 
 themselves to the minds of the admirers of Balfe's 
 music. The mere mention of the titles at once 
 suggests the melodies proper to them ; they are 
 inseparably connected and associated in a manner 
 which has become proverbial. 
 
 The last song Balfe wrote was in 1869 for Sims 
 Eeeves, whose voice and artistic qualities he ad- 
 mired in the highest degree. It was based upon 
 the model of the famous "Come into the garden,. 
 Maud," also written for Eeeves, which, when it 
 was finished and sent from Paris for the approval 
 of the great tenor, the reply received was charac- 
 teristic and prompt, "Yes, it will do." How 
 Eeeves made the song " do " all the world knows. 
 It may be interesting to state in this place that-= 
 
300 BALFE. 
 
 ■when the Prince of Wales visited Paris for the 
 Exhibition of 1879 English music was represented 
 by two of Balfe's pieces at one concert. The trio, 
 " Vorrei Parlar/' from " Palstaff," and " Come 
 into the garden," sung by Mr. Maas, and most en- 
 thusiastically encored. The Parisians agreed with 
 Sims Eeeves's estimate of the song. 
 
 The conditions under which his own operas were 
 produced have been already set forth in these pages 
 before the reader. Their effect upon the world of 
 art may also be gathered from the same source. 
 It is pleasant to recall the memories associated 
 with so much good and worthy work, and to specu- 
 late upon the enormous amount of pure pleasure 
 which that work has been the means of conveying 
 to the hearts, not only of the countrymen of the 
 author, but also of those whose speech is different, 
 but who are at one with him in their love of music. 
 
 Balfe's melodies, pure, natural, and true, not 
 only find an echo in every heart, but they take up 
 permanent abode there. Those who knew the 
 composer best were wont to say that the charm of 
 his society, and the fascination of his manner, 
 were irresistible. He exercised a spell over all 
 
BALFE. 301 
 
 witli whom he came in contact, without in the 
 least degree striving to be " all things to all men." 
 He was not free from the weaknesses of mankind,^ 
 but in disposition and character he was open and 
 honest. He never scorned the advantages which 
 were pressed upon him because of his genius, but 
 he never employed his genius to augment the 
 number of his advantages. Undaunted in courage,, 
 elastic in spirit, ever ready and ever able, he used 
 the gifts with which he was so richly endowed to- 
 the benefit of his countrymen, and to elevate the 
 art he always loved and honoured. 
 
 The ingenuousness and simplicity of his nature 
 is everywhere reflected in his music. His melodies 
 are of such a character that when the initial phrase- 
 falls upon the ear, the ear proposes the sequencc 
 This sequence is so natural, that no other succes- 
 sion of notes but those which are written can 
 satisfy the senses. There is no apparent effort of 
 labour, no smelling of the lamp, no exercise- of 
 scientific contrivance thrust in by the neck and 
 shoulders, as it were, for the sake of pedantry. 
 There is no finding out of a strange chord and 
 building up a passage to exhibit it j there are no 
 
302 BALFE. 
 
 Ugly progressions introduced for the sake of show- 
 ing a contempt for the graces of art, and the posi- 
 tion of superiority in the writer. All is form-like, 
 but never formal. All is shapely, but the outline 
 is never obtained by the introduction of artificial 
 aids. His work is familiar, but never common- 
 place. Even when in the exuberance of the 
 moment his melodies have been given in all con- 
 ceivable forms at all conceivable times, and have 
 been so oft repeated that it ' seems impossible to 
 escape from them, and they are by undesired asso- 
 ciation with the incidents of every-day life, made 
 worn and hackneyed and common, those same 
 melodies, heard after a long interval of rest, fall 
 upon the ear with refreshing sweetness, and'bring 
 in their train only the pleasant portion of the me- 
 mories of the past. 
 
 The touch of melancholy which may be traced 
 in the greater number of his phrases commends 
 itself with particular force to Englishmen. His 
 melodies find out the tender spots in the heart, 
 whether they express joy or sorrow. Hence his 
 popularity with all classes. Educated musicians 
 who review Balfe's works will find that, while he 
 
BALFE. 303 
 
 possessed a peculiar gift in aa inexhaustible vein 
 of tunefulness, he was fully acquainted with the 
 resources of art, and was perfectly conversant 
 with all that was required of a scholarly writer. 
 It was wisdom, and not incapacity, which prompted 
 him to refrain from the exercise of a mode of 
 writing which, according to the form he selected 
 for expression, must have been incongruous. Had 
 he written fugues in his choruses and ensembles, 
 as he was well able to do, he might have satisfied 
 a few to whom such a device is particularly dear, 
 but the majority he appealed to would have felt 
 that his pedantry was superfluous, and had spoiled 
 the situations in which they might have appeared. 
 A reference to the original scores of his operas, 
 placed in the library of the British Museum by his 
 widow, reveals a series of most interesting facts 
 concerning his mode of writing. The one which 
 has chiefest interest for the public is the grace 
 with which he wrote for the several instruments of 
 the orchestra. He gave all enough to say for the 
 purpose in hand, and never compelled them to be 
 obtrusive or coarse. There is no noise for the sake 
 of noise, there is no exuberance of sound which 
 
304 BALFE. 
 
 reminds the hearer of the zealous but misguided 
 efforts of village bands, whose faith in the amount 
 of work done is reckoned by the bustle made in 
 doing it. Above all there is no vulgarity. 
 
 In the choice of subjects for his operas Balfe- 
 exhibited equally good taste. In not one is there 
 any questionable situation or expression. The- 
 plots of his operas are all interesting, and some 
 are exciting, but their interest and excitement are 
 not due to actions or motives of which right- 
 minded men scarcely dare to speak of to each other. 
 
 On the stage Balfe was by predilection a moral 
 teacher. There is no sensuous swim in his music^ 
 . no association with doubtful actions, or connection 
 with words of equivocation, to carry the soul to 
 regions of impurity. All is honest, tender, manly, 
 straightforward, and true. 
 
 When the time arrives, and the long-hoped-for 
 national English opera is established, Balfe's 
 works will be found not to be old in form or style.. 
 The subjects will also commend themselves to a 
 discriminating public, for " the fashion of a thing 
 may change," but decency will never be without 
 influence. 
 
BALFE. 305 
 
 The rSpertoire of a national opera will not be 
 complete without such works as " The Siege of 
 Eochelle," "The Bondman," "The Bohemian 
 Girl," « The Eose of CastiUe," " Satanella," and 
 "The Puritan's Daughter." To this may be 
 added his last and greatest work, " The Knight of 
 the Leopard," as "H Talismano" should be in 
 English. All these are varied in style and in- 
 teresting in treatment, and fitly and fully repre- 
 sent the genius of Balfe at the several stages of 
 his wonderful career, and also show English music 
 in its most acceptable forms. 
 
 As a musician, Balfe stands out in bold relief, 
 even among the numbers of great artists by whom 
 he was surrounded and among whom he laboured. 
 Had not his genius been considered to be worthy 
 to be ranked with the best of the French masters, 
 he would not have been invited to write operas for 
 the stage in Paris. No other Englishman had 
 been so distinguished. This was not all. Italy 
 was proud to honour him in like shape, and Ger- 
 many had sought out his music and taken it to 
 her heart. The universal acceptance of his work, 
 and the fact that it holds permanent place, is a 
 
306 BALPE. 
 
 proof that it is of no ordinary type, no ephemeral 
 concession to passing fancy. That it has lived, 
 and deserves to live, is due to its inherent merit, 
 and the charm it exercises over the mind ap.^ 
 soul. 
 
 With the exception of Handel, no musician in 
 this or any European country has ever enjoyed so 
 much fame while living as Michael William Balfe. 
 None others but they have exercised sway over 
 the sympathies and affections of a people for so 
 long a period. For thirty years Handel was the 
 idol of society in London, but while he lived hi§ 
 works were known only in the country in which 
 they were produced. It was not until after his 
 death that his fame was extended to foreign coun- 
 tries. Balfe's music woil recognition abroad while 
 he was yet alive, and in many a theatre in Prance 
 in Germany, and in Italy his name is inscribed, 
 or his features depicted, among the distinguished 
 masters of the musical art. In his own country 
 he should be honoured even if no better memorial 
 of him was needed while his works could be per- 
 formed. The thirty years of Handel's popularity 
 was matched and surpassed by the public favour 
 
BALFE. 307 
 
 which Balfe enjoyed from the date of the produc- 
 tion of " The Siege of Eochelle " until his death. 
 When "The Talisman" was placed upon the 
 stage, it was received with an enthusiasm which 
 could not have been excited by anything but the 
 genius exhibited in the music. In days yet to 
 come, the light of that genius wiU continue to 
 shine, the earthly particles of mortality which 
 clogged it will have vanished, and posterity will 
 bear grateful witness to the worth and value of 
 Balfe's life and work. 
 
 THE END. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Adelaide Kemble, 128. 
 
 Adolph Nourrit, 74. 
 
 Albei'tazzi, Madame, 122. 
 
 Alexandra Palace, Balfe Festival, 282. 
 
 Alfred Bunn, 96, 154, 165, 185. 
 
 Alfred Crowquill, 193. 
 
 " Amilie," by Rooke, 119. 
 
 Ancient Concerts, 94. 
 
 Anna Thillon, Madame, 144, 163. 
 
 " Armourer of Nantes, The," 247. 
 
 Arne's " Olympiade," 123. 
 
 Arnold, Mr., English Opera House, 
 
 94,96. 
 •' Atala,"Balfe's Opera, 73. 
 Auber, 74, 206. 
 
 Ealfe. His birth, 14. Ingenious 
 contrivance oj efforts in Haydn's 
 Surprise Symphony, 16. At the 
 age of seven. Composes a Polacca 
 for a military band, 18. Plays May- 
 seder's Concerto for Violin in 
 public when only nine years old, 
 18. Balfe and the Sweet-stuff 
 Woman, 21. Balfe and the boat, 
 22. His first song, "Young Fanny, 
 the Beautiful Maid," 30, 34. He 
 starts for London, 31. First arrival 
 in London, 34. Plays at the 
 Oratorio Concerts at Drury Lane 
 Theatre, 33. His first essay as a 
 Conductor, 34. Balfe in the Gal- 
 lery of the Haymarket Theatre 
 hearing his own song, 34. His 
 Adventure with a Dead Body, 40. 
 Writes an Opera for another, 42. 
 Balfe and George Graham, Im- 
 provised nobility, 43. Balfe as a 
 Music-Copyist, 44. He learns 
 French and Italian, 44. Makes 
 his first appearance as a Vocalist 
 at the age of Seventeen, 45. 
 Bomantic acquaintance with the 
 Count Mazzara, 46. Starts for 
 Italy, 47. Visits Paris, Some, &c., 
 48 ut supra. The Countess Maz- 
 zara, 51. Compcses an Opera, 
 
 " Othello," 51. Balfe in Milan, 53. 
 His first Composition for the Stage, 
 The ballet " La Perouse," 61. Re- 
 turns to Paris in 1827, 60. Appears 
 at the Theatre des Italiens in Paris, 
 69. Writes additional music to 
 Zingarelli's Romeo and Juliet, 72. 
 Composes an Opera, " Atala," 73. 
 Leaves Paris for Italy, 75. Milan, 
 Bologna, Palermo, and Sicily, 76. 
 Is made an Honorary Member of 
 the Societa Filarmonica Bologna, 
 78. Makes his debftt at Palermo, 
 80. Writes the Opera "I Rivali 
 di se stessi," 82. Piacenza, Ber- 
 gamo, 84. MeetsMdlle. LinaRoser, 
 his future wife, 84. Rolla, the 
 Conductor of the Opera at Pavia, 
 his discomfiture, 87. Balfe writes 
 " Dn awertimenti di gelosi," 89. 
 " Enrico quarto' al passo del 
 Marno," 90. Loses the box with 
 all his early Compositions, 93. 
 "The Siege of Rochelle," 95 ut 
 supra. The Balfe Detractors of 
 1835, Is called the English 
 Rossini, 105. "Falstafl," 108. 
 "Maid of Artois," 109. Balfe's 
 air, 110. Chorus of Druids in 
 " Caractacus," 118. " Joan of Arc," 
 118. "Diadeste,"120. Balfe in Ire- 
 land, 128. Made a Freemason, 128. 
 " Knight of the Leopard," 37, 250, 
 252, 256, 274, &c. " Elfrida," 138. 
 Grand Concert Balfe, 140. Con- 
 ductor of Her Majesty's Opera, 
 177, &o. "Le Jour de Noel," 162. 
 " Le Puits d'Amour," 143, 146,162, 
 164. " Geraldine," 154, 162. "Les 
 Quatre Fils Aymon," 143, 163, 165, 
 181, 208, 210. "L'Etoile de 
 Seville," 164, 172. « The Daughter 
 of St. Mark," 166, &o. "The En- 
 chantress," 172. "Maid of 
 Honour," 192, &c. "The Bond- 
 man," 185. " The Devil to Pay," 
 192. Invents the Leii motiv, 196, 
 
310 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 "Sicilian Bride," 197. Sacred 
 Compositions, 200. "Le Roi 
 S'amuse," 201. " Satanella," 203, 
 231, 235. Cantata for female 
 voices, 207. "II Talismauo,"244, 
 274, 278. Sonata for pianoforte 
 and violoncello, 261. Chamber 
 Trio, 262. Concerto for flute, 263. 
 "Rose of Castille," 226, 235. Irish 
 Melodies, 232. "Bianca, the 
 Bravo's Bride," 235. "Puritan's 
 Daughter," 241. " Mazeppa," 244. 
 "Blanche de Nevers," 246. 
 "Armourer of Nantes," 247. 
 " Sleeping Queen," 248 , " Siege of 
 Calais," 250, 251. Produces "The 
 Bohemian Girl " in Paris, 265. Is 
 made Knight of the Legion of 
 Honour by Napoleon III., 267. 
 Created Commander of the Order 
 of Charles III. of Spain, 268. His 
 Death, 269. Burial in Kensal 
 Green, 271. Statue in Drury Lane 
 Theatre, 279. His Bust is placed 
 in the National Gallery at Dublin, 
 285. Memorial Window in St. 
 Patrick's Cathedral, 286. Tablet 
 in Westminster Abbey, 293. 
 
 Bacchiocohi Prince, 77. 
 
 Bach, J. S., 32, 68. 
 
 Balfe Festival at the Alexandra 
 
 Palace, 282. 
 Barnett's Mountain Sylph, 103. 
 Barton, James, 18. 
 Beethoven, 37, 196. 
 Benedict, 135, 135. 
 Bennett, Sterndale, 183, 263. 
 " Bianca, the Bravo's Bride," Balfe's 
 
 Opera, 235. 
 Bishop, Madame Anna, 181. 
 Bishop, SirH. R., 2,104. 
 " Blanche de Nevers," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 246. 
 Blasis, Mdlle., 72. 
 "Bohemian GM," Balfe's Opera, 154, 
 
 155, 160, 165, &c. 
 " Bohemian Girl," Balfe's Opera, in 
 
 France, 161,265. 
 " Bohemian Girl," Balfe's Opera, in 
 
 Germany, 161, 205. 
 " Bohemian Girl," Balfe's Opera, in 
 
 Italy, 161, 229, &c. 
 " Bohemian Girl," Balfe's Opera, the 
 
 100th night, 171. 
 
 "Bondman, The," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 185. 
 Bonduca, 117. 
 Bonny Gonn, 28. 
 Bordogni, 65, 66, 68, 69. 
 Brunswick and De Leuwen, Messrs., 
 
 146. 
 Bunn, Alfred, 96, 154, 165, 185. 
 Bunn, Alfred, his poetry, 115, 187, 
 
 201, &c. 
 Bunn, Alfred, his "Blaze of 
 
 Triumph," 118, 185, 215. 
 Bunn and Malibran,112. 
 Bast of Balfe in Dublin, 285. 
 
 Cannizzaro, Duke de, 76. 
 "Cantata for female voices," by 
 
 Balfe, 207. 
 " Caractacus," 117. 
 Carnival engagements, 83. 
 Casino dei Nobili, 78. 
 " Castle of Aymon," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 165,181,210. 
 Catalani, 85. 
 Cataldo, Princess, 79. 
 Cathedral music, 8, 9. 
 "Catherine Grey," by Balfe, 115, 
 
 242. 
 Cervantes' "Novelas Exemplares," 
 
 155. 
 Chamber Trio, 262. 
 Cherubini, 48, 49, 61, 62, 63, 67, 68, 
 
 70,76,144,145. 
 "Chiaradi Rosenberg," by Ricci,95, 
 
 &c. 
 Colbran, Madame, 62, 63. 
 Concerto for Flute, by Balfe, 263. 
 Cooke, Tom, 36, 60, 96. 
 Comaro Opera House, 77, 90. 
 Cornet k pistons introduced into the 
 
 Orchestra by Balfe, 110. 
 Costa, Sir Michael, 176, 182,277. 
 Crow Street Theatre, 13. 
 Cruvelli, Sophie, 196, &c. 
 
 " Daughter of St. Mark, The," Balfe's 
 
 Opera, 166, &c. 
 Dean Stanley, 273. 
 Death of Balfe's Father, 20. 
 Death of Balfe, 269. 
 De Beriot, 111. 
 De Leuwen and Brunswick, Messrs., 
 
 146. 
 " Der Mulatto " (The Bondman), 204. 
 " Devil's in it. The," 192. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 311 
 
 " Diadeste," Balfe's Opera, 120, 132, 
 
 128. 
 Dinner to Balfe in Dublin, 127. 
 Drury Lane Theatre, 36, &c. 
 Dubourg, Matthew, 13. 
 Duke de Frias, 255. 
 
 Ecclesiastical music, 8. 
 
 " Elfrida," Balfe's Opera, 138. 
 
 Emperor of Germany, 203. 
 
 " Enchantress, The," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 172. 
 English Musicians at the beginning 
 
 of the Century, 7. 
 " Enrico quatro aj passo il Marno," 
 
 Balfe's Opera, 90. 
 Erard, 139. 
 Exhibition, Great, of 1851, 201. 
 
 " FalstafE," Balfe's Opera, 122, 123, 
 
 137. 
 Federici,52, 53, 55, 57. 
 "Fidelio," recitatives composed by 
 
 Balfe, 196. 
 Fitzball, Edward, 40, 95, 117, 119, 
 
 131, 139, 155, 193, 269. 
 Freemasonry, Balfe initiated, 128. 
 
 Galli, Filippo, 59, 63, 84. 
 Gallois,M.,62,67,74. 
 Gardoni, the Singer, 194. &c. 
 "Geraldine," "Le Puits d'Amour" 
 
 Balfe's Opera, 154, 162. 
 " Gigia," Balfe's Daughter, 141, &o. 
 Glossop, the Manager, 55, 56, 57, 86. 
 " Grand Concert Balfe," in Paris, 140. 
 Grand National Concerts, 205. 
 Great Exhibition of 1851, The, 306. 
 Great Operatic Quartett, The, 122, 
 
 124. 
 Grisi, Madame, 77, 121, 136. 
 Guiglini, the Tenor, 229. 
 Gye, Mr F., the elder, 38. 
 
 Handel, 13, 68. 
 
 Harrison and Pyne Opera Com- 
 pany, 225, 239, &o. 
 
 Haymarket Theatre, 34. 
 
 Hayward St. Leger, 170. 
 
 Heath, Mr., the Banker, 46, &o. 
 
 Horn, C. E., 30, 45, 46, 48, 68. Earl 
 Friedrich, 32, 48. 
 
 Hullah's Classes, 148, &c. 
 
 "II Talismano," Balfe's last opera, 
 
 244, 274, 278, &c. 
 " I Masjiadieri," 195. 
 
 Irish Melodies of Moore, 232. 
 "I Rivali di se Stessi," Balfe's 
 Opera, 82. 
 
 " Joan of Arc," Balfe's Opera, 118. 
 
 Eate Eyan, Balfe's mother, 14. 
 Eemble, John M., 193. 
 "Eeolanthe," Balfe's Opera, 131, 
 
 135, 154, 218. 
 King Louis Philippe, 145, 197. 
 King William the Fourth, 160. 
 "Knight of the Leopard," Balfe's 
 
 Opera, 37, 250, 252, 256, 274. 
 
 Lablache,120, 122. 
 
 " Lady of Lyons," 250. 
 
 " La Perouse," Ballet by Balfe, 61, 
 
 63. 
 Laporte, the manager, 123, &c. 
 " La Scala," in Milan, 77, 90, &o. 
 "La Somnambula," 84, 91. 
 Laurent the Manager, 69, 70, 72, 73. 
 Legion of Honour, 267. 
 " Leit Motiv," invented by Balfe, 198. 
 " Le Jour de Noel," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 162, 178. 
 " Le Puits d'Amour," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 143, 146, 162. 
 " Le Boi S'amuse," Balfe's unfinished 
 
 Opera, 201. 
 "Les Quatre Fils Aymon," Balfe's 
 
 Opera, 146, 163, &e. 
 " L'Etoile de Seville," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 164, 172. 
 Levey, E M., 24, 128, 183. 
 Liebes Bi-unnen (" Le Puits d'A- 
 mour)," 164. 
 " Light of Other Days, The," 110. 
 Lind, Madame Jenny, 181, 185, 194, 
 
 200, 205. 
 Linley, George, 115. 
 Loder, Edward, 96, 104. 
 Logier, J. B., 15. 
 "Lover's Mistake, The," Balfe's 
 
 song, 34. 
 Lover, Samuel, 135. 
 Lumley, Mr., 176, &c. 
 
 Maofarren, Professor G. A., 100, 135, 
 
 150, 176. 
 Madame Balfe, 84, 133. 
 Maggione, Manfredo, 122, 138. 
 "Miiid of Artois," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 109, 116, 170, 188. 
 
312 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 "Maid of Honour," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 192,194,197. 
 Malibran, Madame, 70, 72, &c., 91, 
 
 &c., 109, 121. 
 Marriage of Balfe's daughters, 216, 
 
 233. 
 Marriage of the Princess Royal, 
 
 229. 
 " Mazeppa," Cantata by Balfe, 244. 
 McNally, James and Leonard, 24, 
 
 25. 
 Meadows, the Bandmaster, 17. 
 Melodramas, 2. 
 Mendelssohn, 74. 
 Micheroux Cavaliero, 85. 
 Mori, the violinist, 34. 
 " Moro " Balfe's Opera, 220. 
 Mozarl, 7,37,65, 70, 125, te. 
 Musical Art in 1800, 1. 
 
 National English Opera, 134, 149. 
 Nilseon, Madame Christine, 260,274, 
 
 277. 
 Norwich Festival, 1842, 144. 
 
 "01ympiade"of Dr. Arne, 123. 
 Opera Band of 1847, 195. 
 Oratorio Concerts, 3S, 34, 38. 
 Order of Charles III. of Spain, 268. 
 O'Rourke, or Kooke, William, 17, 
 
 129. 
 Osborne, Gr. A., 140. 
 "Otello," Balfe's Opera, 51. 
 
 Paer, Ferdinando, 51, 52. 
 " Painter of Antwerp," 220. 
 Pasta, Madame, 84, 85. 
 Paton, Miss (Mrs. Wood), 127. 
 Pellegrini, 60. 
 
 Persiani, Madame, 122, 123. 
 Philharmonic Society, 11, 44, 183. 
 Phillips, Henry, 97, 100, 109. 
 Piccadilly, No. 19, Balfe's London 
 
 Residence, 165. 
 " Pittore e Duca " by Balfe, 219. 
 Planchfi, J. R., 2, 5, 117. 
 Polacca for a Military Band, 18. 
 Pot-boilers, 136. 
 Prices paid for Balfe's compositions, 
 
 35, 63, 82, 96, 135, 158, 178, &c. 
 Prince Consort, 153, &c. 
 " Puritan's Daughter, The," 241. 
 Puzzi, Signer, 92. 
 
 Fyne and Harrison Company, 225, 
 --33a,&c. 
 
 Queen Adelaide, 101. 
 
 Queen Victoria, 101, 180, 222. 
 
 Rolla, the Conductor, 87. 
 Rooke or O'Rourke, 17, 129. 
 Ronconi, 89. 
 Rossini, 37, 51, 59, 62, &c., 71, 124, 
 
 137. 
 " Rose of Castille," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 226, 236. 
 Rowney Abbey, 249, 253. 
 Royal Academy of Music, 33, 283. 
 Russia, Balfe in, 233. 
 
 Sacred Compositions of Balfe, 200. 
 Saint-Georges, De, 143, 161, &c. 
 Sampieri, the Marquis, 76, 79. 
 " Satanella," Balfe's Opera, 203, 
 
 231, 235. . 
 Saunders' News Letter, 18. 
 Schira, Signor F., 189. 
 Scribe, Eugene, 142, &c. 
 " Sicilian Bride, The," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 197. 
 " Siege of Calais," by Planchfi, 250. 
 " Siege of Rochelle," Balfe's Opera, 
 
 95, 
 Sims Reeves, 192, 193, 276. 
 Sketch-books, &c., 202. 
 " Sleeping Queen, The," Operetta by 
 
 Balte, 248. 
 Smart, Sir George, 38. 
 Sommatino, Count, 76, 79, 81. 
 Sonata for pianoforte and violon- 
 cello, 261. 
 Sontag, Madame, 60. 
 "Stabat Mater" of Rossini, first 
 
 performance in London, 125. 
 Statue in Drury Lane Theatre, 
 
 279. 
 Stephans, Miss, 30. 
 Stewart, Sir Robert, 285. 
 
 Tablet in Westminster Abbey, 293. 
 " Talismano, II," 250, &c. 
 Testimonials to Balfe, 171, &o. 
 Thackeray, W. M., 181, 185. 
 
 " Un avvertimenti di Gelosi," Balfe's 
 Opera, 89. 
 
 Vauxhall Gardens, 6, 38. 
 Vestris, Madame, 34, 35. 
 Vier Haimons Kinder (" Les Quatre 
 Fils Aymon"), 164, 181, 210. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 313 
 
 Weber, 37, 45. 
 Wesley, S., 32. 
 Westminster Abbey, 279. 
 WlUraanu, H., Bugle Player, 19. 
 Window in St. Patrick's Cathedral, 
 Dublin, 286. 
 
 " Young Fanny," Balfe's first song, 
 30, 34. 
 
 Zingarclli, 72. 
 
 Zingara, La (see Bohemian Girl). 
 
 Zigeunerinn (see Bohemian Girl). 
 
 NoTB.— By an oversight, the name of « Chalon " is given on page 101 as 
 the painter of the portrait of the Queen. It should be E. T. Parris. 
 
 Printed by Eeminbton & Co., 134, New Bond Street, W.