Michael Rophino Lacy (19 July 1795 – 20 September 1867) was an Irish violinist and composer.

The son of an Irish merchant in

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, Spain, he appeared first there in public as a six-year-old prodigy. In 1802 he was sent to

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

and a year later to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to study with

Rodolphe Kreutzer Rodolphe Kreutzer (15 November 1766 – 6 January 1831) was a French violinist, teacher, conductor, and composer of forty French operas, including ''La mort d'Abel'' (1810). He is probably best known as the dedicatee of Beethoven's Violin Sona ...

. As ''Le Petit Espagnol'' he performed before Napoleon towards the end of 1804 and by October 1805 in London as "The Young Spaniard", his real name not being disclosed before 1807. He performed in Dublin in 1807 alongside

Angelica Catalani Angelica Catalani (10 May 178012 June 1849) was an Italian opera singer, the daughter of a tradesman. Her greatest gift was her voice, a soprano of nearly three octaves in range. Its unsurpassed power and flexibility made her one of the greatest ...

in Michael Kelly's opera company, and returned there in 1813. He enjoyed a short career as an actor in comedy roles, performing in Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow, but in 1818 resumed the musical profession, and by 1820 became leader of the

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

at the

Kings theatre Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh' ...

, London. He composed or adapted from other composers a number of

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s and an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

, ''The Israelites in Egypt'' (1833), in which he combined the plots of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's ''

Israel in Egypt ''Israel in Egypt'', HWV 54, is a biblical oratorio by the composer George Frideric Handel. Most scholars believe the libretto was prepared by Charles Jennens, who also compiled the biblical texts for Handel's ''Messiah''. It is composed ent ...

'' and

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

's ''

Mosè in Egitto ''Mosè in Egitto'' (; "''Moses in Egypt''") is a three-act opera written by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, which was based on a 1760 play by Francesco Ringhieri, ''L'Osiride''. It premièred on 5 March 1818 at ...

''. "Lacy's contemporary fame rested mainly on his rather free English adaptations of French and Italian operas by Auber, Mozart, Rossini and others, which he produced between 1827 and 1833."Axel Klein: "Lacy, Michael Rophino", in: ''The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland'', ed. H. White & B. Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 575–6. Lacy died in London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Michael Rophino 1795 births 1867 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Irish people 19th-century male musicians Irish classical composers Irish male classical composers Irish violinists Male violinists Spanish people of Irish descent