Stéphanie James at December Screenings of 'Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges à Cuba' in NYC

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

Our friend Jean-Claude Halley in Guadeloupe sends news of a film, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges à Cuba, which is scheduled to be shown in New York:

New York in French

“Time: December 9, 2011 at 9pm to December 10, 2011 at 4pm

Location: Teachers College Columbia University

Website or Map: http://halleyjc.blog.lemonde...

Event Type: documentary, classical, music

Organized By: Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival

“Event Description

'The Black Mozart in Cuba' has been scheduled to screen as part of the African Legacy program on Sun. Dec 4 @ 5pm at Symphony Space/Thalia Theatre, 250 West 95th Street, New York, NY 10025 and on Thu. Dec. 8 @ 4pm at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture - 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (138th St. and Lenox Ave), New York, NY 10037.

“Stéphanie JAMES the author is invited to come to New York to attend the screenings of her film and to participate in two panel discussions, one about

'People of Color Images in Europe' to be held at Teachers College, Columbia University on Friday, December 9 at 8pm and one panel entitled

'A Conversation about Cuba' to be held at Teachers College on Saturday, December 10 at 4pm."

GabrielBanat.com is Website of English Language Biographer of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges

[The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow; Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, New York (2006)]

The life, fencing and music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) are presented at AfriClassical.com. We believe the most authoritative English-language biography of Saint-Georges is The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow, written by Gabriel Banat and published by Pendragon Press in 2006. A concert violinist for over 50 years, Gabriel Banat joined the New York Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist in 1970. The author sends word today of his own website:

“I am pleased to let you know that my website is now available at www.gabrielbanat.com.

Fond regards, Gabriel”

Hucknall Dispatch: Dante Quartet & Alissa Firsova in Coleridge-Taylor's 'Piano Quintet' & 'Deep River' in November

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]

Black History Month is observed in October in the United Kingdom, where the University of Sheffield presents Black Classical Music in October and November:

HucknallDispatch.co.uk

Saturday 10 September 2011

Films and music take classics back to black

“FOLLOWING a successful Gay Icons project of events and concerts 12 months ago, the new University of Sheffield autumn concert season, which gets under way on October 11, takes a look at Black Icons to coincide with Black History Month.”

“There has also been a full handful of highly successful black composers, their fame largely confined to the countries they were active in, including Americans Scott Joplin and William Grant Still, a Brit, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and a remarkable French contemporary of Mozart, Joseph de Bologne, otherwise known as Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges who enjoyed iconic status in France in his day.”

“The November concert, given by the Dante Quartet and pianist Alissa Firsova, takes in two works by the undervalued Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, composer of the once hugely popular Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, Piano Quintet Op 1 and Deep River Op 59 No 10.

“Better-known works are Dvorák’s ‘American’ Quartet, its famous second movement clearly suggesting a spiritual, and Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata, which was written for the black violinist George Bridgetower.” [Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was an Afro-British composer and conductor featured at AfriClassical.com. The Centennial of his death will be in 2012. Major observances are being planned by organizations including the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation, http://www.sctf.org.uk/. George Bridgetower (1780-1860), Scott Joplin (c. 1867-1917), William Grant Still (1895-1978) and Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) are also featured at AfriClassical.com]

Comment by email:
Thanks Bill, good to hear of a performance. Word is getting out about C-T, in no small part due to you! Best, JMW [John McLaughlin Williams]

Marlon Daniel at Mu Phi Epsilon Convention, conducting works of Libby Larsen & Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges

[Maestro Marlon Daniel]

Marlon Daniel writes today, August 9, 2011 from the Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity "International Convention" in Rochester, New York:

“I am now in Rochester performing a concert and speaking about Saint-Georges!

I get to work with Libby Larsen! I am conducting two new works by the composer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby_Larsen

The link below is the magazine the organization publishes, where I was featured in an article:

http://www.muphiepsilon.org/thetriangleissues/20113summer.pdf

They are treating me quite well. I am being elected to the international board of directors!

This organization is linked to many universities here in the US.

All the best,

Marlon"

“Meet Maestro Marlon Daniel

Passion, Vision, and Color

“Conductor Marlon Daniel (Mu Xi, New York Alumni) is a busy guy. The founding music director of Ensemble du Monde, he also holds several other posts including principal conductor of the Festival of African and African American Music. In April he was artistic director of the Saint-Georges International, celebrating the 18th-century Afro-French composer Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (often known simply as Saint-Georges), on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. In August he conducts music of Libby Larsen at the Mu Phi Epsilon convention in Rochester, New York.”

'International Saint-Georges Festival: Tuesday April 12'

[Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)]

The International Saint-Georges Festival in Guadeloupe runs from April 28 – May 1, 2011 but is presenting related activities throughout the month of April. This is the schedule for Tuesday, April 12:

BASSE-TERRE

3:00 PM: Chevalier de Saint-Georges Preschool, Exhibitions of student work

4:00 PM: Orchestra Chevalier Saint-Georges and The Baladins

6:00 PM: Screening of film La Table de Marbre, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (The Marble Bench, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges)

BAILLIF

4:00 PM: Bailiff School, screening of La Table de Marbre, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges

GOURBEYRE

7:00 PM: Departmental Archives

Speech of Jean-Claude Halley

Music Concert with “Tous en Choeur” and “Da Cantare”

[The life, fencing and music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) are presented at AfriClassical.com]

Maria Thompson Corley Plays 'Adagio in F' of Saint-Georges & 'Étude in A Minor' of H. L. Adams at Bermuda Festival

[Maria Thompson Corley]

On Friday, Feb. 11, 2011 in the City of Hamilton, Bermuda, Pianist Maria Thompson Corley made her first appearance in the Bermuda Festival. She performed Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata Op. 13 Pathetique; Barcarolle, Op. 60 of Frederic Chopin; the rarely performed Adagio in F minor of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges; and the Étude in A minor of H. Leslie Adams. AfriClassical.com profiles both Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) and H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932).

Natalie Hinderas recorded the Adagio in F (6:25) of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges on LP. It is now available as a download from ClassicsOnline.com for $1.59.

The Bermuda Festival program notes tell us:

"Jamaican-born Canadian pianist Maria Thompson Corley, who is also Bermudian, is the granddaughter of Cecily Caisey, a well-known piano teacher on the island of Bermuda. Maria Thompson Corley gave her first public performance at the age of eight. Since then, she has appeared on radio, television, and concert stages in Canada, the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Europe, both as a solo and collaborative artist."

The program notes say of the work of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges:

“His Adagio in F Minor is an eloquent expression of deep sorrow, rendered with the sort of transparency that makes this piece deceptively difficult.”

The program notes quote the pianist as saying of the composition of H. Leslie Adams:

“While Adams' intention in his études was to create moods, rather than focusing exclusively on one technical problem, several of them follow the mould established by Chopin in his famous sets of concert études. The Étude in A Minor fits this category; it is an octave étude, full of turbulence, but with a delightfully unexpected blues break in the middle.”

Guest Book Entry from South Africa: 'Thank you for such a resource, capturing a very important history.'

[Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)]

Concord Nkabinde of South Africa has written in the Guest Book at AfriClassical.com on Tuesday, 2/8/11:

“Thank you for such a resource, capturing a very important history. More people need to know about this website. We will spread the word.” [Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Mayport Mirror: 'Terrance Patterson continues to guide success of the African-American chamber music group'

[ABOVE: Provided by Ritz Chamber Players, Troy Stuart - Cello and Terrance Patterson - Clarinet for the Ritz Chamber Players BELOW: John Pemberton/The Times-Union, Terrance Patterson is a member of the Ritz Players. Patterson was photographed on Wednesday January 5, 2011, at the Times-Union Center, as the JSO practiced. The Ritz Players will perform its annual concert "In Remembrance of the Dream". (The Florida Times-Union, John Pemberton)]

MayportMirror.Jacksonville.com

January 16, 2011

By Charlie Patton

“The genesis of the Ritz Chamber Players can be traced to a fortuitous twist of the radio dial.

Terrance Patterson was fiddling with the dial in the Jacksonville home where he grew up when he stumbled upon a program of classical music on Jacksonville public radio station WJCT (89.9 FM). A passion was ignited. Eventually Patterson would train as a classical clarinetist and become a very rare creature, an African-American classical musician.

“Less than 2 percent of classical musicians are African-Americans, Patterson said. After graduating from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, a prestigious conservatory of music in Baltimore, Md., and studying for a master's at Temple University, Patterson, now 43, spent a decade supporting himself with teaching and with adjunct jobs with several orchestras, including the Nashville Symphony.

“By then he was seriously 'looking for a way to increase the participation of minorities' in classical music. He decided to found a chamber music society that would play a regular schedule of concerts using only African-American players. The group's first concert, on Feb. 22, 2002, was held at the Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, which is why the organization Patterson leads as artistic director is named the Ritz Chamber Players.”

“It's in the Jacoby that the Ritz Chamber Players will perform their annual concert in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. 'In Remembrance of a Dream' will feature seven musicians, including soprano Alison Buchanan and Patterson. They will begin with a string quartet by Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges...” “The concert will also include compositions by Dmitri Shostakovich, Adolphus Hailstork and Sergei Prokofiev. [Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) and Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Violinist Valtie Nunn: 'I will be recording all 6 of Saint-George's violin sonatas later this year.'

[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)]

The life, fencing and music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) are presented at AfriClassical.com. Jean-Claude Halley of Guadeloupe writes the French-language blog Guadeloupe Attitude and is President of the Friends of Joseph de Bologne. He and violinist Valtie Nunn, affiliated with Trinity College of Music in the U.K., inform us of her intention to record the six Violin Sonatas of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Ms. Nunn tells Jean-Claude Halley: “I will be recording all 6 of Saint-George's violin sonatas later this year. I am just waiting for the last 3 to be published.” Her website indicates that she will perform a Saint-Georges Sonata at All Saints Church in Lindfield at 1:00 PM on the 9th of March, 2011. She has subsequently informed us that her violin engagements are on hold while she recovers from a wrist injury.

Website of Valtie Nunn

“Valtie is rapidly gaining acclaim for her captivating performances of both well known and neglected or contemporary works. She spent most of her childhood in Africa and it was on returning to England that she was inspired to take up the violin by her sister Rebecca Lawrence, who taught her for six years.

“Valtie graduated with first class honors from Trinity College of Music, where she studied with Andrew Sherwood. She was awarded the TCM Trust Silver Medal, the Byram Jeejeebhoy Prize for ‘outstanding performance’ on two occasions and the City Livery Prize for excellence during her time at Trinity College of Music. In 2008 Valtie was awarded the Leverhulme Orchestral Mentorship Scholarship, the Trinity College London Scholarship and a Philharmonia Martin Musical Scholarship Award towards further study at Trinity College of Music with Andrew Sherwood. She has been fortunate enough to receive tutoring from some of the leading musicians in the profession, including the eminent Ivry Gitlis, the late Hugh Bean, Tasmin Little, Pieter Schoeman, Ofer Falk.” “Valtie plays a violin by the renowned Italian maker Johannes Franciscus Pressenda made in 1847, which is on loan from Trinity College of Music.”

Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Afro-French Composer, Conductor & Fencer, was born Dec. 25, 1745

[Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)]

Joseph de Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges was born on Dec. 25, 1745 on the island of Guadeloupe. Nanon, his mother, was a slave owned by Joseph's father. At age 8 Joseph was sent to school in France, arriving in August, 1753. Joseph's parents later joined him in France. In October, 1756 the 13-year-old entered the fencing academy of Nicolas Texier de La Böessière. During six years of rigorous instruction in fencing and academic subjects, Joseph gained a reputation as one of France's leading fencers.

At 17, biographer Pierre Bardin tells us, he purchased the Office of Controller Ordinary of Wars, which entitled him to use the title “Le Chevalier.” Saint-Georges was an exceptional athlete who excelled in numerous outdoor activities, including riding, skating and swimming. His musical ability and education allowed him to master the harpsichord and violin, winning dedications of works from prominent composers, including Antonio Lolli in 1764 and François-Joseph Gossec in 1766.

Gossec founded Le Concert des amateurs, a prestigious ensemble of which Saint-Georges was first a violinist, then a concert master by 1771. Two years later he had begun composing and was chosen to succeed Gossec as conductor. From 1773-1775, he produced 8 violin concertos and 2 symphonies concertantes, according to the Works List compiled by Gabriel Banat. In 1775, only two years after Saint-Georges became Conductor, L'Almanach Musical [The Musical Almanac] wrote that the ensemble was "the best orchestra for symphonies in Paris and perhaps in Europe".

Saint-Georges was appointed director of the fashionable private theater of the Marquise de Montesson and was thus able to present a number of works written by himself and others. He reached his peak as a composer by 1778, helping to pioneer the string quartet and the symphony concertante in France. Saint-Georges regularly played music with Queen Marie-Antoniette, a harpsichordist, at Versailles.

The first orchestra went out of business in 1781 for financial reasons. Masons quickly organized a replacement, Le Concert de la Loge Olympique. Saint-Georges was authorized to commission the six Paris Symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn. He and the Concert de la Loge Olympique premiered the symphonies, Nos. 82-87, in a triumphant series of concerts in 1787. Queen Marie-Antoniette attended. Symphony No. 85 is called The Queen because it was Her Majesty's favorite.

Saint-Georges joined the National Guard during the French Revolution, but was soon appointed Colonel of the unit known as the “Saint-Georges Legion.” It was comprised of 1,000 volunteers of color. He and his troops fought with honor and distinction, but he was imprisoned on false charges. In spite of an acquittal, he was never reinstated to the French Army. In 1997 he took on his last musical ensemble, the Circle of Harmony. He died of an untreated bladder ailment on June 10, 1799. The newspapers of France paid tribute to him upon his death.

His music was no longer played often for nearly two centuries after his death. A major revival has occurred in the CD era, and many of his works are now available. Recent recordings include Sandrine Chatron's 2009 CD of music for harp Le salon de musique de Marie-Antoinette, including the Sonata for harp and flute of Saint-Georges on the Ambroisie label; and the 2009 release of an MP3 audio download at ClassicsOnline.com of Natalie Hinderas Plays Sensuous Piano Music by Berg, Ravel, Ginastera, Rachmaninov, Liszt and Saint-Georges, originally an Orion LP, which includes the Adagio in F Minor (6:25) of Saint-Georges. Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges has yet to receive full recognition of his achievements in either mainstream History or the standard concert repertoire. [Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Was Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) '...the first major classical composer of African descent'?

[Padre José Mauricio Nunes Garcia: Te Deum and Requiem in D Minor, Music of the Court of Dom João VI; UFR Chorus and Symphony Orchestra (2008). Le Mozart Noir; Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; Jeanne Lamon, Conductor; CBC SMCD 5225 (2003)]

An online reference source, Encyclopedia.com, begins an article on the Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) with this statement: “The British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was the first major classical composer of African descent.” We strongly agree that Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a major classical composer. He was also of African descent and is profiled at AfriClassical.com. To say that he was “...the first major classical composer of African descent” is to disregard at least two earlier composers who are also featured at AfriClassical.com:

Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), was an Afro-French composer who was among the most fashionable French composers in the decades before the French Revolution. His symphonies, violin concertos and string quartets are frequently performed and recorded today, especially in Europe. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of Jeanne Lamon, recorded Le Mozart Noir on CBC Records SMCD 5225 (2003). The works include Symphony in G Major, Op. 11, No. 1; Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 1 as well as the overture and ballet excerpts from the comic opera L'amant anonyme.

José Mauricio Nunes Garcia (1767-1830) was an Afro-Brazilian Catholic priest who composed the first Brazilian opera, Le Due Gemelle. Padre Garcia's liturgical works for voice and organ are regularly performed in Brazil and elsewhere today. His Requiem in D Minor, St. Cecilia's Mass and Missa Pastoril are among his important works. CDs include Padre José Mauricio Nunes Garcia: Te Deum and Requiem in D Minor, Music of the Court of Dom João VI; UFR Chorus and Symphony Orchestra (2008).

We believe it is very important that the full extent of African Heritage in Classical Music be communicated in reference works, so that students and others can understand that the history of classical music has long included composers of African descent. Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges and José Mauricio Nunes Garcia are not the earliest known composers of African descent, but they are among the major composers of color who preceded Samuel Coleridge Taylor.

Daniel Hege, New Conductor of Wichita Symphony, Made First U.S. CD of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges

[Maestro Daniel Hege and Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th & 19th Centuries, Cedille 90000 035 (1997)]

The CBS Black Composers Series was recorded in the 1970s on LP by Maestro Paul Freeman and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, with major contributions by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma. It was not until 1997 that the Violin Concerto in A Major of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges was recorded on CD. When KSN News Extra announced the appointment of Daniel Hege as Conductor of the Wichita Symphony, we felt compelled to add a comment, which was posted at KSN.com. We neglected to include the name of the violinist, Rachel Barton Pine, for whom the CD was also a triumph:

Wichita has new music man

KSN News Extra

KSN.com

“Click on the video link at right to watch our KSN News Extra with the symphony's new conductor, Daniel Hege. Below is his official bio supplied by the Wichita Symphony:

He's been widely recognized as one of America's finest young conductors. His name is Daniel Hege. Currently in his tenth season as Music Director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Hege has earned critical acclaim for his fresh interpretations of the standard repertoire and for his commitment to creative programming. In June 2009, Mr. Hege was appointed Music Director of the Wichita Symphony and begins his tenure in September 2010.”

“In April 2003, Mr. Hege led the Syracuse Symphony in a critically acclaimed concert at a sold-out Carnegie Hall. He has also made two recordings - a disc with the Baltimore Symphony and the Morgan State University Choir featuring works by Adolphus Hailstork and a CD with the Syracuse Symphony with works by Verdi, Barber, Debussy, Respighi and James Johnson.”

Comment of William J. Zick

Maestro Daniel Hege conducted another recording which is the first U.S. CD of music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799). It is "Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th & 19th Centuries," Cedille 90000 035 (1997). The other composers are Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Joseph White and Chevalier J.J.O. de Meude-Monpas. Gabriel Banat, biographer of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, has found that Meude-Monpas was not of African descent. All four works are beautiful, however, and are exquisitely played.

Mark Clague, Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, wrote scholarly liner notes in the form of an essay, "From Commodity to Creator: The search for social equality through cultural virtuosity." Favorable reviews came from The New York Times and Classics Today, which assigned a score of "10/10" to the disc. This CD has an engraving of Saint-Georges which includes references to his fencing career as well as his role as a conductor. A detailed biography can be found at AfriClassical.com. Maestro Hege should be recognized for this masterpiece of a recording, which remains in print.

Quinton I. Morris Performs Music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, William Grant Still & Himself With Friends May 20

[Dr. Quinton I. Morris]

Dr. Quinton I. Morris is a violinist and Assistant Professor of Music at Seattle University. He is also Founder/Artistic Director of The Young Eight String Octet, which has performed nationally. The concerts of Dr. Morris have appeared in AfriClassical frequently. This time he presents the Sonata No. 3 in G Minor of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), the Sonata for Violin and Piano of William Grant Still (1895-1978) and music by himself:

Quinton Morris and Friends

Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave. (at Seneca Street), Seattle (tickets at the door only; 206-398-4994 or music@seattleu.edu for information)

Morris, assistant professor of music and director of chamber and instrumental music at Seattle University, leads an eclectic program featuring the Brahms Horn Trio and works by Saint-Georges, William Grant Still, Mozart and Morris himself. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. $5-$12. [The Afro-French composer, violinist and conductor Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) and the African American composer, conductor and arranger William Grant Still (1895-1978) are profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a complete Works List for William Grant Still by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma.]

Operagasm.com: AfriClassical.com is 'Website of the Week!'

[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) ]

AfriClassical.com is pleased to be named “Website of the Week!”:

Operagasm.com

02/22/10

The Voice Box

by Erica Papillion-Posey

“This site is a beautiful tribute and reference for African-Americans in the classical arts and those wanting to learn more about African-American classical arts history! AfriClassical.com founded by William J. Zick was launched in 2000 as a nonprofit educational venture promoting awareness of African Heritage in Classical Music. The first page was devoted to Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges and within a few months was joined by pages on several other composers and musicians of African descent.

“Here you will meet 52 composers, conductors and instrumental performers – Africans, African Americans and Afro-Europeans. Many are alive today, but one lived 500 years ago! These artists are unknown to most of us, yet are so numerous this site can present only a fraction of them. They have made enduring contributions to Classical Music. Several have composed, conducted and performed Classical Music. Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) of Guadeloupe is one of those multi-talented musicians. Cuban classical guitarist Leo Brouwer (b. 1939) is another. Over 100 sound samples can be heard at the Audio page and at the biographical pages. The links at left lead to a Black History Quiz covering everyone profiled at the site and a Guest Book in which you are invited to leave your comments."

TimeOutNY.com: 'Light as a feather: Magali Léger makes her New York debut'

[Magali Léger (Photo from TimeOutNY.com)]

TimeOutNY.com

Posted in The Volume by Olivia Giovetti on January 11th, 2010 at 10:49 am
"While happy to send us their suspect pop music, it seems France has been holding out on us with soprano Magali Léger. Doe-eyed, irrepressibly adorable—imagine Audrey Tautou with high Cs—and blessed with Michelle Obama arms, Léger left us somewhat agog after her New York debut last night in an overdue recital.

“Performing with the Ensemble du Monde and its music director, Marlon Daniel, Léger gave the Merkin Concert Hall a preview of April’s Saint-Georges International Festival of Guadeloupe, a four-day event to honor the composer dubbed 'the Black Mozart.' Like Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de St. Georges, Léger is a native of the island of Guadeloupe, and perhaps it’s this shared balance between French Caribbean and French Baroque that made her an ideal interpreter for these rarely heard works.”

“Presenting two arias from the same opera, Léger was the embodiment of her last name (French for 'light') with a liberating coloratura that skyrocketed to the upper register effortlessly. Hers was a Riviera soprano, mixing the warmth of sun-baked ochres with the coolness of rippling azures to create an irresistible tone. The connection she fostered with the cozy audience allowed her to shine, even when the orchestra seemed unable to curb its enthusiastic dynamics (which hovered near forte for most of the evening).” [Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is the subject of an extensive biographical essay, as well as discussions of his fencing and recordings, at AfriClassical.com]

NEA Grants $10,000 for Sacramento Philharmonic Project Including Still & Saint-Georges

[ABOVE: “Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still”; Denver Oldham, piano; Koch 3 7084 2H1 (1991) BELOW: “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)]

OBSNews.com
Congresswoman Matsui Announces $122,500 in Federal Grant for Sacramento Arts Community
Submitted by OBSNews.com on Wed, 12/09/2009 - 15:56
“Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra Association, Inc. - $10,000
To support a community performance project featuring works by Chevalier de Saint Georges, Pastor Alonzo Morris, William Grant Still, Sergei Prokofiev, and George Gershwin.” [William Grant Still and Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Gabriel Banat Notes Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges Died at 53

[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)]

On Wednesday, September 23, 2009 AfriClassical posted “Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) Was 54 When He Died.” Biographer Gabriel Banat is author of The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow. Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon Press, 2006. Gabriel has made a comment by email:

Hi Bill,
Thanks for your message. In fact, as Joseph was born on December 25th, 1745, in June of 1799 he was only 53 years old.

Best regards, Gabriel

Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) Was 54 When He Died

[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)]

Parisienne Postcards published a post entitled “Le Nègre des Lumières” on Sept. 22, 2009. It says, in pertinent parts, “I have read about the french revolution but I was not aware of the wonderful and remarkable story of le Chevalier de Saint-Georges until I attended the opera Le Nègre des Lumières in Paris.” “The Chevalier de Saint-Georges was born Joseph de Bologne on the 25th of December 1745.”

“Ultimately, toward the end of his life, in 1797, he directed the Circle of Harmony, a concert organization established at the Palais-Royal. In 1799, living alone in a small apartment in Paris he succumbed to an untreated bladder infection. He was taken in and cared for by an old friend, Nicolas Duhamel, until his death on the 10th of June 1799. He was 60 years old.”

If in fact Saint-Georges was born in 1745, he was 54, not 60, when he died in 1799. The age of 60 is, however, consistent with the biography Le Nègre des Lumières (1999) by Alain Guédé, which states that Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges was born in 1739.

Three major biographies have been published since 2004: The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow (2006) by Gabriel Banat; Le chevalier de Saint-George (2004) by Claude Ribbe in French; and Joseph de Saint-George, le Chevalier Noir (The Black Chevalier) (2006) by Pierre Bardin. The authors of these works examined historical documents related to Saint-Georges, and all found that the authentic date of birth of Saint-Georges is Christmas Day, 1745. [Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Mike Wright Says Harpsichord Might Have Been Used for Flute & Harp Sonata of Saint-Georges

[Le Salon de Musique de Marie-Antoniette; Isabelle Poulenard, soprano; Jean-François Lombard, tenor; Stéphanie Paulet, violin; Amélie Michel, flute; Ambroisie AM179 (2009)]

On August 30, 2009 AfriClassical posted: “Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma Says a CD of 'Sonata for Flute and Harp' of Saint-Georges is a First.” Three days earlier we had quoted a favorable review in the British newspaper The Telegraph of the new CD Le Salon de Musique de Marie-Antoniette; Ambroisie AM179 (2009). Three tracks of the disc are devoted to a Sonata for Flute and Harp of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), who is profiled at AfriClassical.com.

We were unaware of any other recording of the work. Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor of Music, Lawrence University, commented: “Yes, this work has not been previously recorded. It betrays a characteristic of Saint-Georges re voice leading, which I solved by the addition of a cello (not an unusual practice of the time). It was thus performed by Anthony Elliott (cello), D. Antoinette Handy (flute), and Geneva Southall (piano) at our Minneapolis conference in 1975. Dominique”

Mike Wright is Chair of the International Society of African to American Music (ISAAM), and is based in London. He adds a further remark via email:
“Hi Dominique, You mentioned the ‘cello (as part of continuo?) as not unusual. Would it also have been far more likely that a harpsichord or clavichord (rather than a pianoforte or even a fortepiano) would have been used for Saint Georges music? Regards, Mike” Prof. De Lerma then quipped: “Of course, Mike is Wright.”

'I decided to write my paper on Saint-Georges'; ' My instructor told me not to do it because he had never heard of him.'

[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)]

A visitor to AfriClassical.com has written a Guest Book entry which highlights an obstacle to learning of African Heritage in Classical Music:Tuesday, 6/23/09, 8:36 PM “Thank you so much for this site. I took an Introduction to Music class this summer to renew my teachers license. We had to do a small research paper on a composer. I figured I would do one on a black man. I could not believe how much information was out there. I decided to write my paper on Saint Georges Le Chevalier. My instructor told me not to do it because he had never heard of him. I sent him a snippet of information I had been researching. Nevertheless he was floored. He actually stated I had taught him something. I am so fascinated now about other black composers. I have fallen in love with classical music all over again. Thank you so very much. Tonia, Little Rock.”

We can only wonder how many other Music instructors in U.S. higher education demonstrate such indifference to the existence of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) and other composers of African descent!