Édouard Lalo facts for kids
Édouard Lalo (born January 27, 1823 – died April 22, 1892) was a famous French composer. He is best known for his piece called Symphonie espagnole. This is a five-part concerto for violin and orchestra, and it's still very popular today.
Contents
About Édouard Lalo
Early Life and Music Studies
Édouard Lalo was born in a city called Lille in northern France. He started learning music at a young age at the local music school, known as a conservatoire. When he was 16, he moved to Paris to study at the famous Paris Conservatoire. His teacher there was François Antoine Habeneck.
For many years, Lalo worked as a musician who played string instruments and also taught music in Paris. In 1848, he helped start a music group called the Armingaud Quartet. In this group, he played the viola and later the second violin. His first musical pieces that we still have today are songs and chamber music. (He wrote two early symphonies, but they were later destroyed.)
Marriage and New Music
In 1865, Lalo married Julie Besnier de Maligny, a singer from Brittany. She really encouraged him to write operas, which are plays set to music. Because of her, he wrote several pieces for the stage, especially his opera Le Roi d'Ys. These operas were not very popular at first. Some people thought they were too new or different.
Because his operas weren't a big hit, Lalo spent most of his career writing chamber music. This type of music, played by a small group of instruments, was becoming popular in France. He also wrote many pieces for a full orchestra.
Lalo's Unique Style
Lalo's music has a special sound that many people enjoy. His Symphonie espagnole for violin and orchestra is still a favorite among violin players. His Cello Concerto in D minor is also sometimes performed. Even his Symphony in G minor was liked by famous conductors like Sir Thomas Beecham.
Lalo's music stands out because it has strong, clear melodies and colorful sounds from the different instruments in the orchestra. It also has a solid, strong feeling, which makes it different from other French composers of his time. Pieces like his Scherzo in D minor show off his unique style and how much feeling he put into his music.
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Le Roi d'Ys is an opera based on an old legend from Brittany about a sunken city called Ys. This opera was Lalo's most complicated and ambitious work. (Another famous composer, Claude Debussy, was also inspired by this legend for his piece La cathédrale engloutie.)
Lalo became a member of the Legion of Honour in 1873. This is a very important award in France. Le Roi d'Ys was not performed until 1888, when Lalo was 65 years old. He passed away in Paris in 1892. He left behind some unfinished works, including an opera called La Jacquerie, which was finished by another composer, Arthur Coquard. Lalo was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
Lalo's son, Pierre Lalo (born 1866 – died 1943), became a music critic. He wrote about music for newspapers like Le Temps and other French magazines for many years.
Compositions
See also
In Spanish: Édouard Lalo para niños
