William Michael Rooke (29 September 1794 - 14 October 1847), was an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist and composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

.

Rooke was born in South Great George's St, Dublin. Between 1815 and 1817 he was a teacher of Michael William Balfe

Michael William Balfe

Michael William Balfe was an Irish composer, best-remembered for his opera 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 38 operas, almost 250 songs and other works...

. While chorus master and a member of the orchestra at a Dublin theatre between 1817 and 1823, Rooke composed his first opera Amilie, or the Love Test

Amilie, or the Love Test

Amilie, or the Love Test is an opera in three acts by the Irish composer, William Michael Rooke to a libretto by John Thomas Haines.-Background:...

, which however was not performed until 1837 (at Covent Garden Theatre, London). Balfe himself sang in the opera at an 1838 performance in Dublin.

In 1821 he moved to England and worked at various times in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 and London, where from 1830-1833 he led the orchestra at Vauxhall Gardens

Vauxhall Gardens

Vauxhall Gardens was a pleasure garden, one of the leading venues for public entertainment in London, England from the mid 17th century to the mid 19th century. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, the site was believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660 with the first mention being...

. He died in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Rooke's opera Henrique (1839) was unsuccessful (it was possibly withdrawn following arguments with William Macready, the manager), and his further works Cagliostro and The Valkyrie remained unperformed.

He was buried in Brompton Cemetery

Brompton Cemetery

Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...

.

Sources

• Oxford Music Online, Rooke, William Michael
• Flood, Wlliam H.Grattan, A History of Irish Music, Chapter 28.
• Tyldesley, William, Michael William Balfe