La Gitanilla and the Bohemian Girl: A Musical Encounter on the Stage

This study aims to emphasize the importance of Michael William Balfe as a Romantic opera composer and singer. After a general introduction, Balfe’s career and the reasons why he has been long-forgotten as a composer outside the English-speaking world are discussed. The last section is mostly based on Miguel de Cervantes’ short novel La Gitanilla and its adaptations into musical and theatrical works, with a special focus on Balfe’s opera, The Bohemian Girl. The relations between these two works are analyzed in comparison. Thus, this paper is intended to be a source for researchers who want to study the works of Cervantes