Black in Alberta: 'Black Mozart – Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges'

[Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges Violin Concertos, Op. 5, Nos. 1 & 2; Op. 3, No. 1; Op. 8, No. 9; Bernard Thomas Chamber Orchestra; Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Violin; Arion 68093 (1990)] 

Black in Alberta
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Black Mozart – Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges

“Joseph Bologne, Le Chevalier (Le Chevalier means knight) de Saint Georges was born on Christmas Day, 1745 in Guadeloupe to a slave and a French colonialist. His father took Le Chevalier de Saint Georges and the boy's mother to France at a young age and invested in his education and musical training, with aspirations of having his son enter into the aristocracy. Le Chevalier de Saint Georges became the best fencer in France and had an affinity for music from early on. He ascended to be the first black man to conduct France's finest orchestras and his musical compositions inspired well known composers like Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.

He was the general of a legion of 1000 black soldiers that fought heroically during the French revolution. He was a famed lover, though never fully accepted because of his black blood. Here is a clip of a pianist performing one of Le Chevalier de Saint George's works. From YouTube.com: “Richard Alston, pianist performs 'Adagio in f minor' by Chevalier de Saint Georges composer of African descent. Please visit my web site http://www.richardcalston.com” The post also links to the Saint-Georges page at AfriClassical.com, saying: “A good website to read more about him.”