Ballet Egyptien, Op. 12 (1875), is Alexandre Luigini’s best-known composition and the only one of his works in the standard repertoire. The ballet consists of eight movements, from which two different concert suites have been extracted. The first suite is the better known.
Luigini, who was a French violinist, conductor, and composer of Italian descent, was born and raised into a musical family. His father Joseph Luigini was a composer and conductor of several orchestras, including the Grand Théâtre Orchestra in Lyons, the Théâtre Italien in Paris, the Théâtre Lynque, and the Folies-Dramatiques. Alexandre Luigini’s grandfather, furthermore, had played trumpet with the Grand Théâtre Orchestra in Lyons. Alexandre Luigini went on to study violin and composition at the Paris Conservatoire and later followed in his father’s footsteps when he became the conductor of the Grand Théâtre Orchestra in Lyons in 1877. While serving as conductor of the Grand Théâtre Orchestra, Luigini was appointed as professor of harmony at the conservatory in Lyons, where he founded the Concerts Bellecour and the Concerts du Conservatoire ensembles.
As a composer, Luigini composed numerous ballets and light orchestral music, as well as three string quartets, piano music, and two operas (Les capris de Margot, 1877, and Faublas, 1881). Luigini’s best known composition is Ballet égyptien, op. 12, which was dedicated to the French conductor Jules Pasdeloup (1819-1887) and was first performed in Lyons in 1875. The work consists of eight movements and is scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two cornets, three trombones (or two trombones and tuba), timpani, percussion (including triangle, bass drum, cymbals, and tambourine), two harps, and strings.
The main melodic theme, which consists of an alternating eighth note and sixteenth note rhythm in 2/4 time, is introduced in the first movement and is mainly conveyed throughout the piece by the flute and string sections. The ballet displays several characteristics that are typical of late 19th century classical music, such as wide range of dynamics (pp to ff), non-traditional harmonic structure (as the work briefly starts in B-Flat major, shifts to g minor and then explores other alternative keys such as D major), and emphasis on melodic themes. The fame of the piece inspired Luigini to write other pieces on exotic themes, such as Ballet russe, Marche d’émir, and symphonic poems Fête arabe, Op. 49 and Carnaval turc, Op. 51
Ballet égyptien, op. 12 has resulted in the extraction of two different concert suites, with the first suite being the most well-known. The ballet first gained prominence when it was inserted into the second act of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida at its 1886 performance in Lyons (with Verdi’s permission) and has additionally been arranged for piano solo, piano duet, piano quartet, and brass band. It has been recorded numerous times, by conductors such as Anatole Fistoulari, John Lanchbery, Jean Fournet and Richard Bonynge. It often appears in compilations of light music. It is perhaps best known as the background music used by the British music hall act Wilson, Keppel and Betty for their “sand dance”.
