Cristóbal Halffter (born March 24, 1930 in Madrid) is a Spanish composer. He is the nephew of two other composers, Rodolfo and Ernesto Halffter.

In 1936, Halffter's family moved to Germany to escape the Spanish Civil War, but they returned to Madrid in 1939, and Halftter studied at the German School there, graduating in 1951. In 1955, he was appointed conductor of the Falla orchestra. He forged a successful career as composer and conductor, writing music which combined a traditional Spanish element with avant-garde techniques. His Piano Concerto won the National Music Prize in 1953. In 1961 he became Professor of Composition at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid.

Halffter's works include the opera Don Quijote (2000):

Concerto for piano and orchestra (1953)
Tres piezas (1955) for string quartet
Introducción, fuga y finale (1957) for piano
Líneas y puntos (1966) for 20 wind instruments and electroacoustics
Anillos (1966) for orchestra
Cantata Symposium (1966)
Yes, speak out, yes (1966), cantata
Noche pasiva del sentido (1970) for soprano, two percussionists and 4 tape recorders
Llanto por las víctimas de la violencia (1971) for chamber group and electroacoustics
Elegía de la muerte de tres poetas españoles (1975)
Officium defunctuorum (1979) for orchestra and chorus
Versus (1983)
Siete cantos de España (1992/92)
Don Quixote (2000), opera
Attendite (2003) for cello octet