Balfe was natural inside Dublin, where his musical gifts became apparent at an early age. the merely instruction he received was from either either his father, world health organization was the dancing master, & from a musician, C. E. Horn (1786 — 1840). Between 1814 and 1815 he played the violin for his father's dancing-classes, and at the age of septenary composed a polacca. Within 1817 he appeared as the violinist publically, & in that season composed a ballad, first known as "Young Fanny" & subsequently, once sung around Paul Pry by Madame Vestris, "The Lovers' Mistake". On the demise of his father around 1823 he was engaged in the orchestra of Drury Lane, and existence within possession of the microscopic however pleasant baritone voice, he chose the career of an operatic singer. An abortive debut was processed at Norwich in Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz. Within 1825 he was taken to Rome by Count Mazzara, being introduced to Luigi Cherubini on the way. Around Italy he wrote his first dramatic operate, the ballet, La Perouse. At a close of 1827 he appeared as Figaro around Rossini's The Barber of Seville, at the Italian opera within Paris.

Balfe presently returned to Italy, where, in the period of the next nine years, he remained, singing at various theatres & composing a total of operas. In the period of this instance he married Luisa Roser, a Hungarian singer whom he had met at Bergamo. Fétis says that a public outrage roused by an attempt at "improving" Meyerbeer’s opera Il Crociato by interpolated music of his own, compelled Balfe to upchuck his engagement at a theatre La Fenice in Venice.

By this instance he got produced his number one complete opera, We Rivali di se stessi, at Palermo in the carnival year of 1829—1830; the opera Un Avvertimento ai gelosi at Pavia; & Enrico Quarto at Milan, where he got been engaged to sing by having Malibran at a Scala. He returned to England in the spring of 1833, and on the 29th of October 1835 his Siege of Rochelle was produced and ecstatically received at Drury Lane. Bucked up by his profits, he produced A Maid of Artois on the 27th of Can 1836--the profits of the opera existence confirmed per exquisite singing of Malibran.

Balfe wequally a prolific composer, as can be seen from either the ensuing names of his English operas alone:

Siege of Rochelle (1835) A Maid of Artois (1836) Catherine Grey (1837) Joan of Arc (1837) Falstaff (1838, Lablache in title-role) Amelia, or even a Love End line text (1838) Keolanthe (1841) A Bohemian Girl (1844) A Girl of St. Mark (1844) A Enchantress (1845) A Bondman (1846) A Devil’s within it (1847) A Maid of Honour (1847) A Sicilian Bride (1852) A Rose of Castile (1857) Satanella (1858) Bianca (1860) A Puritan’s Girl (1861) A Armourer of Nantes (1863) Blanche de Nevers (1863)

Balfe besides wrote many operas for the Opéra Comique and Grand Opéra in Paris, where Scribe and Saint-George provided him with a libretti for his LePuits d’amour (1843) and his Les Quatre Fils Aymon (1844). His L’Etoile delaware Seville was written inside 1845 for the Académie Royale.

Though he wrote numbers of works, a just prominent-shell piece of Balfe's which is remembered in todays world is The Bohemian Girl. Even so, he is probably a 2nd best known 19th century composer of English language opera (after Arthur Sullivan). He was supplementary notable inside his day, each for his singing & for songs such as When more hearts, I personally personally dreamt that I dwelt within marble halls & Came into a garden, Maud.

Balfe retired to Hertfordshire in 1864, where he owned the farm. He died inside 1870, and was buried at Kensal Green. Around 1882 a medallion portrait of him was unveiled in Westminster Abbey.