Nicolas Dalayrac (1753-1809) was a French composer best known for his contributions to opéra comique during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born in Muret, he first studied law before turning decisively toward music.

Dalayrac wrote a large number of stage works, many of them for Parisian theatres, and became one of the successful composers of the Revolutionary and Consulate periods. His operas often favoured domestic sentiment, clear situations and attractive vocal writing.

His musical style is direct, graceful and theatrically alert. Rather than grand spectacle, Dalayrac excelled in the lighter, more intimate dramatic world where melody and character could carry the evening.

Though now overshadowed by larger operatic names, he belongs to the living fabric of French stage music between Grétry and the nineteenth century. His work reminds us that opéra comique was a bustling street, not a single monument.