Edouard Lalo Facts for Kids

Édouard Lalo (born in Lille, France, on January 27, 1823; died in Paris, France, on April 22, 1892) was a famous French composer. He wrote many different kinds of music, including pieces for orchestras, operas, and ballets. His music often has a lively, Spanish feel.

His Musical Journey
His Music Style
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His Musical Journey

Édouard Lalo's family originally came from Spain. He started learning music at a young age. He studied the piano and violin at the Lille Conservatory. However, his parents did not want him to become a professional musician.

When he was 16, Lalo decided to follow his passion for music. He left home and moved to Paris. There, he took more music lessons. He also earned money by teaching music and playing the violin.

Discovering Chamber Music

Lalo especially loved chamber music. This is music written for a small group of instruments, usually played in a smaller room or "chamber." At that time, not many people in France were very interested in chamber music.

To share his love for this music, Lalo formed a string quartet with three friends. A string quartet is a group of four musicians who play two violins, a viola, and a cello. Lalo played the viola in his quartet. Later, he played the second violin.

Their quartet helped make the music of famous composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven more popular in France. In 1859, Lalo even composed his own string quartet.

Becoming Well-Known

Lalo didn't become famous until the 1870s, when he was already in his 50s. Some important conductors like Pasdeloup, Lamoureux, and Colonne noticed his talent. The famous violinist Sarasate also became interested in Lalo's music.

These musicians started performing Lalo's orchestral works. He wrote a violin concerto, which is a piece for a solo instrument with an orchestra. He also wrote a work called Symphonie espagnole (Spanish Symphony). This piece was also for solo violin and orchestra. Sarasate played both of these works, helping them become very popular. In 1877, Lalo composed a cello concerto.

Opera and Ballet

Lalo also wrote an opera called Le roi d’Ys (The King of Ys). An opera is a play where the story is told mostly through singing. However, no opera house wanted to perform it at first. Instead, they asked him to write a ballet. A ballet is a performance where the story is told through dance and music.

Even though he didn't know much about ballet, Lalo composed one called Namouna. Some people thought the music sounded like Wagner or like music written for symphonies.

Finally, in 1888, his opera Le roi d’Ys was performed. It was a huge success! Sadly, Lalo only lived for four more years after that. He didn't compose any more major works. He had married one of his music students in 1865, and they had a son.

His Music Style

In France, Édouard Lalo is mostly remembered for his opera Le roi d’Ys. But in other countries, his most famous work is his Symphonie espagnole. Even though it's called a "symphony," it's actually a violin concerto.

This piece has five movements, which are like different sections of music. It's full of lively, Spanish rhythms that make you want to dance! His cello concerto is also a wonderful and important piece of music.