Saïd Ben Mohamed

Saïd Ben Mohamed
Born1827 (1827)
Constantine, Algeria
Died4 December 1890(1890-12-04) (aged 62–63)
Hôtel de Ville, Montluçon, France
Other namesSaïd Mahomet
le Petit sans Pareil
OccupationPerformer
Spouse
Margherita (alternatively Marguerite) Bracco
​
​
(m. 1853)​
ChildrenEmma Saïd Ben Mohamed
RelativesLine Marsa (granddaughter)
Édith Piaf (great-granddaughter)

Saïd Ben Mohamed (born 1827), also known as Saïd Mahomet or by his stage name le Petit sans Pareil, was a performer from Constantine who performed in France from the 1850s. He was the maternal great-grandfather of Edith Piaf.

Biography

Saïd Ben Mohamed, an Algerian Kabyle acrobat, was born in 1827[1] in Constantine, Algeria.[2] Other sources state he was born in Mogador, now known as Essaouira.[3][4] His father was Mohamed Ben Mohamed and his mother Ajoh Ben Ali[5] (alternatively Ajose Beau Arsé and Ajoh Bent)[1].

Career

Saïd presumably arrived in Paris in 1850. On 29 June, the Cirque des Champs-Elysées presented an "extraordinary troupe of nine Kabyle acrobats who arrived in Paris just a few days ago." The acrobats were often described in posters and newspapers as being Arab, Tuareg, or Kabyle, while they were often Moroccan artists who performed human pyramid or aerial acts on the stages of European circuses.[6]

Saïd and Mustapha Amar (Ben-Bel-Aïd),[7] both part of the troupe performing in Paris, were hired by Italian circus director Joseph Bracco (his future father in law). Bracco and Mustapha became the directors of the troupe.[8]

They named their troupe Grande loge de la troupe des Cinq-Nations,[9][10] alternatively Troupe des Arabes,[6][11] Grande Troupe Arabe,[12][13] and Théâtre Arabe.[14][13] They used to often carry the subtitle du Mont Atlas[15][16] and later Les Merveilles du Desert.[9][17][18]

Saïd's stage name, "le Petit sans Pareil", literally means "the little incomparable one". He is described as such on the advertising poster, as well as in the newspapers.[19][17]

His act consisted of "le moulinet du fusil arabe", meaning the lightning-fast spinning of an Arab rifle. A contemporary review of the Troupe des Arabes at the Foire du Trône (1877) singled out Saïd's rifle-manipulation act as "the most remarkable part of the performance", describing him as performing "a thousand feats of dexterity" with an Arab rifle while the troupe answered his cries in chorus.[19]

Another part of his act was "le saut des poignards", a daggerleap, which is an acrobatic act in which daggers are on the ground and the acrobat jumps over or between them.[20][21][22]

Personal Life

On 5 December 1852, Saïd Ben Mohamed and Margherita Bracco (alternatively Marguerite Brague) registered their intention to marry in Poitiers.[1] Their child was born on the following day, 6 December 1852.[2]

Saïd and Margherita were married on 4 February 1853 in Poitiers. Margherita Bracco, also an acrobat, was born on 30 August 1830 in Murazzano, Italy to Joseph Bracco and Catherine Chapelle.[1] Two of Margherita's sisters, Anna and Maria Elisabetta, also married circus performers. Maria Elisabetta married the previously mentioned Mustapha on the same day that Saïd married Margherita.[6][7][23]

Descendants

The last mentions of the troupe found in the press date from 1885.[24]

Marguerite and Saïd had many children and continued their careers as acrobats.[6]

In 1876 they had a child named Emma Saïd Ben Mohamed. She grew up to be a performer. In 1892 Emma Saïd was described as performing at the Théâtre Saïd, a travelling family entertainment company directed by Eugène Saïd.[25] Théâtre Saïd is described as formerly known as Théâtre Bracco-Moustapha, establishing a direct link to Grande loge de la troupe des Cinq-Nations from directors Bracco and Mustapha. This is the troupe troupe in which Saïd Ben Mohamed worked as a performer.[26]

In 1895, Emma's daughter Annetta Giovanna was born in Livorno. Annetta became a cabaret singer under the stage name of Line Marsa. In 1915, Annetta gave birth to a daughter, French singer Édith Piaf. Emma became the primary caregiver of her granddaughter Edith from 1915 to 1916.[27]

Death

Saïd died on 4 December 1890 in Hôtel de Ville, Montluçon, France.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "France, Vienne, Etat-Civil, 1792-1913". Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "État civil collection des microfilms (avant 1905) Soissons". Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Monique Lange et Edmonde Charles-Roux à propos d' Edith Piaf". www.ina.fr. 1979-12-28. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  4. ↑ Death certificate Year 1890, France, Montluçon (03), 1890, N°501, 2E 191 194
  5. 1 2 "Geneanet". geneanet.org. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "la Fabrique des Memoires". www.lafabriquedesmemoires.com (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Le La Voix socialiste : organe des sections du Parti socialiste (SFIO) de la deuxième circonscription de Sceaux 25 september 1909" (in French). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Le Lez : journal théâtral, littéraire et satirique 8 november 1883" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Champ de foire : grande loge des cinq nations : [Programme] / Grande loge de la troupe des Cinq-Nations" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Les saltimbanques : leur vie, leurs moeurs / Gaston Escudier ; 500 dessins à la plume par P. de Crauzat (in French). 1875. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "La Normandie : Le Courrier de l'Eure et La Liberté réunis 10 august 1867" (in French). 1867. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Le Fifre 15 march 1877" (in French). 1877. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Le Petit Troyen : journal démocratique régional 6 march 1882" (in French). 1882. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "L'Avenir du Tarn : journal de l'Union républicaine 13 april 1884" (in French). 1884. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Affiches, annonces et avis divers de la ville du Mans 1 januari 1857" (in French). 1857. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "La Lorgnette : journal consacré aux intérêts artistiques, paraissant le dimanche ["puis" journal des théâtres] 17 october 1859" (in French). 1859. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Foire de Caen: arrivée pour la première fois en cette ville de la troupe des Arabes, Touaregs, Kabyles et la troupe des Italiens, Français et Anglo-Américains: [Programme]" (in French). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "L'Impartial du Nord : journal de Valenciennes, politique, littérature, industrie, tribunaux, modes 1 october 1873" (in French). 1873. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  19. 1 2 "le Petit Journal 4th april 1877" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "L'Orchestre : revue quotidienne des théâtres 1st november 1874" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "L'Avenir républicain : Propagateur de l'Aube 21st february 1877" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "L'Impartial du Nord : journal de Valenciennes, politique, littérature, industrie, tribunaux, modes 1st october 1873" (in French). Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Poitiers (Vienne, France) - Marriages" (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Le Midi : journal républicain libéral 9 september 1885" (in French).
  25. ↑ La Gazette d'Annonay 13 august 1892. 1892.
  26. ↑ "Journal d'Indre-et-Loire : affiches, annonces et avis divers" (in French). 10 August 1890. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  27. ↑ Duclos, Pierre. Piad: Biographie (in French).
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