COMPOSER

Michael William Balfe

1808 - 1870

Photo of Michael William Balfe

Icon of person Michael William Balfe

Michael William Balfe (15 May 1808 – 20 October 1870) was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially The Bohemian Girl. After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to compose. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he composed at least 29 operas, almost 250 songs, several cantatas and other works. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Michael William Balfe has received more than 131,895 page views. His biography is available in 25 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 24 in 2019). Michael William Balfe is the 977th most popular composer (up from 1,013th in 2019), the 151st most popular biography from Ireland (up from 155th in 2019) and the 4th most popular Irish Composer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 130k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 57.61

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 25

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.44

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.93

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among COMPOSERS

Among composers, Michael William Balfe ranks 977 out of 1,451. Before him are Harold Arlen, Édouard Deldevez, Ludwig Thuille, Girolamo Diruta, Nicola Piovani, and Friedrich Silcher. After him are Ignaz Holzbauer, John Tavener, Alessandro Rolla, Federico Moreno Torroba, Friedrich Gernsheim, and Lars-Erik Larsson.

Most Popular Composers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1808, Michael William Balfe ranks 47. Before him are Prince Frederick of Württemberg, Caterina Scarpellini, James Nasmyth, Lysander Spooner, August von Werder, and Henry Cole. After him are Josef Kajetán Tyl, Salmon P. Chase, Pyotr Chikhachyov, Franz Theodor Kugler, Sofia Adlersparre, and Constantin Negruzzi. Among people deceased in 1870, Michael William Balfe ranks 45. Before him are Princess Amalie of Saxony, Friedrich Boie, Prince Frederick of Württemberg, Louise Lehzen, Alexei Lvov, and James Young Simpson. After him are Christian Albrecht Jensen, Carl August von Steinheil, Johann Heinrich Blasius, Franz Unger, Carlos Soublette, and Imre Frivaldszky.

Others Born in 1808

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Others Deceased in 1870

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In Ireland

Among people born in Ireland, Michael William Balfe ranks 151 out of 549. Before him are Robbie Keane (1980), Adomnán (624), Edward Bruce (1275), Ninette de Valois (1898), Eddie Jordan (1948), and Edna O'Brien (1930). After him are Brendan Behan (1923), William Howard Russell (1820), Jane Wilde (1821), Ronnie Drew (1934), Edward Sabine (1788), and Herbert Brenon (1880).

Others born in Ireland

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Among COMPOSERS In Ireland

Among composers born in Ireland, Michael William Balfe ranks 4. Before him are John Field (1782), Charles Villiers Stanford (1852), and Turlough O'Carolan (1670). After him are Victor Herbert (1859), and Michael McGlynn (1964).

Irish born Composers

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