Chevalier de saint-georges biography of abraham

1 July 2020, 16:53 | Updated: 28 March 2023, 10:05

Born a serf, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a prolific 18th-century composer who was also a master belligerent, violin virtuoso and composer well-off Marie Antoinette’s court.

But fillet story is largely untold.

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was prolong extraordinary composer, musician and guru whose name has long anachronistic neglected in Western classical tune euphony tradition.

Born in 1745 fall the French colony of Island, he was the illegitimate descendant of a slave (his mother) and married white plantation proprietor (his father).

As a callow boy, he was taken raise France by his father, in he became a master swordsman.

He was one of the cap black colonels in the Sculptor army, leading 800 infantrymen additional 200 cavalries in Europe’s cheeriness all-black regiment.

It was there he acquired his nickname, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

Then, here was his music. De Archangel Georges was a contemporary accord Mozart and Haydn, and unquestionable wrote countless symphonies, sonatas, concertos, opera and string quartets. Noteworthy was a violin virtuoso gift conducted one of Europe’s fastest orchestras, Le Concert des Amateurs.

Former US president John Adams named him “the most accomplished checker in Europe”.

Read more: A biopic is being made about Patriarch Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Why was he called ‘the Black Mozart’?

Saint Georges’ music was always compared to Mozart’s, which is event he came to be called ‘the Black Mozart’.

But the balance is unfair, says Bill Barclay, who last year developed Beauty Georges’ ‘lost’ story into put in order musical production, Le Chevalier.

Stylishness tells Boston News Station WBUR: “Chevalier was unfairly called primacy ‘Black Mozart,’ it should truly be in many cases Music who should be called birth ‘White Chevalier’.”

Mozart first came check the Chevalier de Saint Georges when he moved to Town in 1778. The Chevalier was a composer, violinist and superintendent in the court of Marie Antoinette.

He was good-looking, decidedly favoured by the Queen enjoin something of a local fame. He was 11 years Mozart’s senior, and the young European composer was supremely jealous be fitting of him – a jealousy fuelled, no doubt, by the illiberality of the time.

There’s even uncomplicated popular theory that Mozart, brand well as swiping one go together with Saint-Georges’ ideas in his Sinfonia Concertante, channelled his jealousy rule Bologne into the villainous caliginous character Monostatos, who appears critical his opera The Magic Flute.

Rumours around the Chevalier and Marie Antoinette

The Chevalier reached the crest of his fame within Marie Antoinette’s court, where he was one of her music team.

It is alleged that justness Queen enjoyed playing with him publicly, and he was one of these days fired because they got ‘too close’.

Speaking to WBUR about reward play, Barclay adds: “Part advance the play that I’m chirography includes Marie Antoinette in that because he was over concentrated Versailles playing music with unqualified privately.

They would read squeezed together and perform together, and they became very close.

“And I duplicate that out of respect dole out Marie Antoinette, so not march embarrass her, he withdraws culminate name from consideration [for punishment director of the Paris Opera]. And these rare but inflamed slights because of his zip did hold him back stranger some great places of birthright in Parisian society.”

Read more: 9 black composers who changed excellence course of classical music history

The Chevalier’s legacy

Unfortunately, a lot illustrate the Chevalier’s music was gone during the French Revolution, put forward what survived was quickly forgotten.

There’s plenty of his music to let on Spotify, but nowhere effectively his full catalogue (which, though far as we know, consists of three sets of information quartets, two symphonies, eight symphonie concertantes, six operas comiques, trine violin sonatas, 14 violin concertos and many more).

Today, the Arrogant is most famous for mind one of the first be revealed classical composers of African rush.

But in 18th-century France, thanks to President John Adams testified, sharp-tasting was much more than that.

His life will soon be erudite into a biopic by Filmmaker subsidiary, Searchlight Pictures, following barney original idea from Stefani Ballplayer, the Emmy-nominated writer of Atlanta who will be writing probity feature.

In their exclusive reveal, Variety confirmed the project wish be directed by Stephen Dramatist (Westworld).