Joseph Carl Breil (29 June 1870 – 23 January 1926) was an American lyric tenor, stage director, composer and conductor.

[citation needed] His love theme for "Birth of a Nation", titled "The Perfect Song", was published by Chappell & Co. in an arrangement for voice and keyboard.

[1] He toured as principal tenor of the Emma Juch Opera Company (1891–1892) before returning to Pittsburgh to teach singing and to direct the choir of St Paul's Cathedral (1892–1897).

An article in The New York Times, dated 12 June 1914, noted that he "...will conduct the orchestra at the Illinois Theatre, Chicago, during the engagement of the second presentation of Gabriele D'Annunzio's Cabiria, which opens on Thursday night."

He died of heart disease on 23 January 1926, following a nervous breakdown suffered on account of the failure of his final opera, Der Asra.