Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George(s) (25 December 1745 - 9 June 1799) was a French violinist, conductor and composer. A biracial Creole free man of color, he is considered the first classical composer of African descent to receive widespread critical acclaim. He composed many violin concertos and string quartets, sinfonia concertantes, violin duets, sonatas, two symphonies and six stage works (opéra comique). Saint-Georges was also known as a champion fencer, good athlete and fine dancer. Saint-Georges was born in the French colony of Guadeloupe. His father, Georges Bologne de Saint-Georges, was a wealthy, white planter, and his mother was one of the people Georges kept enslaved. At the age of seven, he was sent to France for his education. As a young man he won a fencing contest and was appointed "gendarme de la garde du roi" by the French king, Louis XVI. Having received music and musical composition lessons, he joined the orchestra Le Concert des Amateurs; he succeeded Gossec as the orchestra's conductor in 1773. In 1776, Saint-Georges was proposed to be the next conductor of the Paris Opera, but was denied this role when some of the performers objected to being led by a person of color. Around this time, he shifted his focus to composing operas. In 1781, he joined a new orchestra Le Concert de la Loge Olympique. By 1785, he had stopped composing instrumental works altogether. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, Saint-Georges left for England. Upon his return to France, he joined the National Guard in Lille and then served as a colonel in the Légion St.-Georges, which comprised "citizens of color". Associated with court, Marie Antoinette and the Duke of Orléans, he became a victim of the Reign of Terror, and was imprisoned for at least eleven months. Saint Georges was a contemporary of Mozart and has sometimes been dubbed the “Black Mozart”. Saint-Georges's life and career are the subject of the 2022 biographical film Chevalier, where he is portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr.
