historyI just heard about Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges on TV... so i wanted to get more information about it... What follows was taken from
this website (http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Page1.html)
... The only merit i had was to read it...
I was surprised to read that le Chevalier was friends with Alexandre Dumas Pere, who, just like him, was born from a black mother.
"Rediscovery:
Two centuries of neglect have at last given way to rediscovery of Joseph de Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George (also spelled Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges), one of the most remarkable figures of the 18th century. Incredibly, this son of a slave of African descent rose to the top of French society through his mastery of fencing and classical music! [...]
Birth:
Joseph de Bologne's father was Georges de Bologne de Saint-George, a member of an aristocratic family which had lived in the French West Indies colony of Guadeloupe since 1645. He married Élisabeth Merican on September 8, 1739. By January, 1740 he had moved to a 250-acre plantation with 60 slaves. One of the slaves was an attractive young woman about 17 who was named Anne but was called Nanon. She was of African descent and was born on the island. Georges and Nanon began an intimate relationship shortly after his arrival. Their son Joseph de Bologne came into the world on Christmas Day, 1745. His African heritage made him ineligible for the nobility and its titles under French law.
Fugitive:
Georges de Bologne soon found himself a fugitive. On December 17, 1747 he fatally wounded a man in a fencing duel caused by a drunken quarrel. He fled Guadeloupe secretly the following month to avoid a charge of homicide. In spite of his absence he was sentenced to death on March 31, 1748 and his goods were ordered confiscated. Surprisingly, his wife Élisabeth was given permission on September 1, 1748 to leave the island with Joseph and Nanon. Joseph turned 3 at sea and arrived in France on January 4, 1749. The Bologne family used its influence with the royal court to secure a pardon for Georges from King Louis XV. Joseph and his parents sailed from Bordeaux, France on September 2, 1749. The ship's manifest said Georges was 38, Nanon was 26 and Joseph was 3 years old.
Childhood:
Young Joseph lived a privileged life on the plantation. He had ample time to play, and his father gave him lessons in music and fencing. When he was 8 years old, Joseph sailed for Bordeaux with Élisabeth to start school, arriving on August 12, 1753. Nanon landed at the same port on September 10, 1754 and visited Joseph for several weeks. Nanon and Georges arrived back in France on September 10, 1755. They took Joseph to live with them in the fashionable Saint-Germain quarter of Paris. Georges obtained the position of Gentleman of the King's Chamber, which meant he was a personal assistant to King Louis XV.
Fencing Academy:
Joseph's life changed radically the following year. In October, 1756 the 13-year-old entered the fencing academy of Nicolas Texier de La Böessière, an elite boarding school for the sons of the aristocracy. Mornings at the academy consisted of classes in mathematics, history, foreign languages, music, drawing and dance. Afternoons were devoted to the most important subject, fencing. Joseph trained alongside the son of La Böessière and became a friend of the family. The younger La Böessière later wrote that Saint-George was the most extraordinary man of arms ever seen. Training in horsemanship took place at the Tuileries under expert guidance. In 1761, at the age of 15, Joseph obtained the coveted position of officer of the King's Guard. He served only 3 months per year, so his education continued without interruption.
Racism in France:
The increasing presence of people of color in France resulted in the rise of government efforts to limit and regulate their immigration. The Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire was among those who argued that Africans and their descendants were genetically inferior to White Europeans. More influential on the King were the demands of slave owners and traders to maintain racial separation in order to protect their businesses. A Code Noir [Law of Blacks] had been on the books since the 17th century. On April 5, 1762 King Louis XV decreed that Nègres et gens de couleur [Blacks and people of color] must register with the clerk of the Admiralty within two months. Nanon registered herself; La Böessière registered Joseph.
Fencer:
Joseph studied at the fencing academy for 6 years, until he was 19. By that time everyone called him Le Chevalier de Saint-George. [...]
Saint-George had become known in the world of fencing as the god of arms.
[...]
Le Concert des amateurs:
Saint-George had mastered both the harpsichord and the violin. Successful composers who dedicated works to him included Antonio Lolli in 1764 and François-Joseph Gossec in 1766. It is believed that he had been tutored in violin by Jean-Marie Leclair, another important composer of the time, and had studied composition with Gossec. Saint-George participated in the founding of Le Concert des amateurs in 1769. He became the first violin and the batteur de mesure, or timekeeper, of the ensemble. [...]
Violinist & Composer:
Saint-George first composed a Concerto for Harp. Subsequently, he and Gossec were among the earliest French composers of string quartets, symphony concertantes, and quartet concertantes. His first string quartets were performed in the salons of Paris in 1772. They were published in the spring of 1773.
[...]
Conductor:
Saint-George became Conductor of Le Concert de amateurs in 1773, combining his duties with composing. He produced 7 violin concertos and 2 symphony concertantes in the next two years. In 1775, only two years after Saint-George became Conductor, L'Almanach Musical [The Musical Almanac] wrote that the ensemble was "the best orchestra for symphonies in Paris and perhaps in Europe".
New Racial Controls:
Religious leaders urged King Louis XVI to abolish slavery. About 1776 he condemned the practice himself. Reaction from slave owners and traders was so strong that new racial controls were adopted in 1778. The King ordered Nègres, mulâtres et gens de couleur [Blacks, mulattos and people of color] living in Paris to carry identity cards. Captains of ships were required to notify the Admiralty before allowing any such persons to disembark in France. Interracial marriages were prohibited if the African or person of African descent had disembarked before August 9, 1777. Saint-George had not always lived in Paris, so he did not carry an identity card.
Don Juan Noir:
Much has been made of Saint-George's reputation as a Don Juan Noir [Black Don Juan]. [...] Saint-George did have at least one serious romantic relationship, but racial attitudes made it impossible for him to marry anyone at his level of society.
Musical Theater:
Although rejected for the post at the Paris Opera, Saint-George was later appointed music director of the private theater of the Marquise de Montesson. He directed 2 to 3 performances each week. He also served as Lieutenant of the Hunt for her husband, Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans. The composer's first musical comedy was a 3-act work, Ernestine, for which he wrote only the music. Its first performance, on July 18, 1777, drew warm applause. A second staging, at the larger Comédie-Italienne, was given good reviews in the press for the music but was panned for its lyrics.
Professional Peak:
Professor Ribbe writes that by 1778 Saint-George had reached his professional peak as a composer. [...]
Queen Marie-Antoinette
Early in 1779, Saint-George began performing music with Queen Marie-Antoinette at Versailles, at her request. Professor Ribbe notes that some people were unhappy about the arrangement. One night that spring, Saint-George and a companion were walking alone when 6 men attacked them. The two defended themselves until a passing police patrol arrested several of the assailants. They were quickly released from jail when they were identified as members of the secret police at Versailles! It was obvious that someone in power had ordered his murder, so Saint-George began taking precautions to avoid further incidents. [...]
Performances in Two Countries:
Saint-George's trips to England introduced him to the country's anti-slavery movement. He helped found a French group called the Société des amis des noirs [Society of the Friends of Black People]. He also produced a children's musical, Aline et Dupré ou Le Marchand des marrons [Aline and Dupré or The Chestnut Seller]. It was staged on August 9, 1788. As a violinist, Saint-George gave concerts in England as well as France. One dark evening in January 1790 on which he was scheduled to perform in England he was walking alone, carrying his violin, when a man with a pistol and a stick tried to rob him. He fought off the robber, only to be attacked by 4 more men. He overpowered them as well.
French Revolution:
Saint-George was living in Lille when the French Revolution broke out in July, 1789. He joined the National Guard in Lille later that year. He obtained the rank of Captain in 1790. Saint-George the soldier was still a musician and a fencer, so he organized concerts and fencing demonstrations in Lille while stationed in the city. He even wrote an opera, Guillaume-Tout-Coeur ou les Amis de village [William-All-Heart or The Village Friends]. An actor from Lille wrote the lyrics for the work, which was performed September 8, 1790. Saint-George's connections with the Ancien Régime now made him the object of great suspicion, so he began signing his name Monsieur de Saint-George.
Saint-George Legion:
Members of the National Guard were asked to volunteer for active duty, so Saint-George enlisted on June 21, 1791 as an aide-de-camp to two generals. He soon received another call to duty. On September 1, 1791 a delegation of men of color, led by Julien Raimond of Saint-Domingue, asked the National Assembly to allow them to fight in defense of the Revolution and its egalitarian ideals. The next day, the Assembly approved a corps comprised mainly of men of color, with 800 infantry and 200 cavalry personnel. Saint-George was appointed to be its Colonel. Its official name was légion franche de cavalerie des Américains, but it soon became known to all as the légion Saint-George [Saint-George Legion]. The Colonel chose his friend and protege Alexandre Dumas as Lieutenant-Colonel. Like his Colonel, he was the son of a French aristocrat and an African slave. He later had a son, also named Alexandre Dumas, who won fame as author of The Three Musketeers.
[...]
Le Cercle de l'Harmonie:
In spring 1797 Saint-George returned to Paris and took charge of his final orchestra, Le Cercle de l'Harmonie [Circle of Harmony]. [...]
Death:
Saint-George lived alone in a small apartment in Paris during the last two years of his life. In late spring, 1799 an untreated bladder infection caused him to become weak and feverish. He was taken in and cared for by Nicolas Duhamel, an old friend who had served under him. He died on June 10, 1799.
Slavery:
The Convention had abolished slavery in French colonies on February 4, 1794. The ideal of equality for which Saint-George and his volunteers of color had fought so bravely soon fell into disfavor. Napoleon Bonaparte sent troops to Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue in 1802 with orders to reinstitute slavery. People of color on Guadeloupe fought valiantly under Louis Delgrès, but on May 28, 1802 their defenses fell to General Antoine Richepance. Rather than live as slaves again, hundreds of people blew themselves up in a gunpowder warehouse. Emancipation would not return until 1848. The assault on Saint-Domingue killed people of color by the thousands and still France could not regain control. The former colony declared its independence in 1804, becoming the first Black republic in the world. People of color in France suffered setbacks as well. On May 29, 1802 a secret decree expelled all officers of color from the Army, ending the military career of General Alexandre Dumas."
this website (http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Page1.html)
... The only merit i had was to read it...
I was surprised to read that le Chevalier was friends with Alexandre Dumas Pere, who, just like him, was born from a black mother.
"Rediscovery:
Two centuries of neglect have at last given way to rediscovery of Joseph de Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George (also spelled Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges), one of the most remarkable figures of the 18th century. Incredibly, this son of a slave of African descent rose to the top of French society through his mastery of fencing and classical music! [...]
Birth:
Joseph de Bologne's father was Georges de Bologne de Saint-George, a member of an aristocratic family which had lived in the French West Indies colony of Guadeloupe since 1645. He married Élisabeth Merican on September 8, 1739. By January, 1740 he had moved to a 250-acre plantation with 60 slaves. One of the slaves was an attractive young woman about 17 who was named Anne but was called Nanon. She was of African descent and was born on the island. Georges and Nanon began an intimate relationship shortly after his arrival. Their son Joseph de Bologne came into the world on Christmas Day, 1745. His African heritage made him ineligible for the nobility and its titles under French law.
Fugitive:
Georges de Bologne soon found himself a fugitive. On December 17, 1747 he fatally wounded a man in a fencing duel caused by a drunken quarrel. He fled Guadeloupe secretly the following month to avoid a charge of homicide. In spite of his absence he was sentenced to death on March 31, 1748 and his goods were ordered confiscated. Surprisingly, his wife Élisabeth was given permission on September 1, 1748 to leave the island with Joseph and Nanon. Joseph turned 3 at sea and arrived in France on January 4, 1749. The Bologne family used its influence with the royal court to secure a pardon for Georges from King Louis XV. Joseph and his parents sailed from Bordeaux, France on September 2, 1749. The ship's manifest said Georges was 38, Nanon was 26 and Joseph was 3 years old.
Childhood:
Young Joseph lived a privileged life on the plantation. He had ample time to play, and his father gave him lessons in music and fencing. When he was 8 years old, Joseph sailed for Bordeaux with Élisabeth to start school, arriving on August 12, 1753. Nanon landed at the same port on September 10, 1754 and visited Joseph for several weeks. Nanon and Georges arrived back in France on September 10, 1755. They took Joseph to live with them in the fashionable Saint-Germain quarter of Paris. Georges obtained the position of Gentleman of the King's Chamber, which meant he was a personal assistant to King Louis XV.
Fencing Academy:
Joseph's life changed radically the following year. In October, 1756 the 13-year-old entered the fencing academy of Nicolas Texier de La Böessière, an elite boarding school for the sons of the aristocracy. Mornings at the academy consisted of classes in mathematics, history, foreign languages, music, drawing and dance. Afternoons were devoted to the most important subject, fencing. Joseph trained alongside the son of La Böessière and became a friend of the family. The younger La Böessière later wrote that Saint-George was the most extraordinary man of arms ever seen. Training in horsemanship took place at the Tuileries under expert guidance. In 1761, at the age of 15, Joseph obtained the coveted position of officer of the King's Guard. He served only 3 months per year, so his education continued without interruption.
Racism in France:
The increasing presence of people of color in France resulted in the rise of government efforts to limit and regulate their immigration. The Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire was among those who argued that Africans and their descendants were genetically inferior to White Europeans. More influential on the King were the demands of slave owners and traders to maintain racial separation in order to protect their businesses. A Code Noir [Law of Blacks] had been on the books since the 17th century. On April 5, 1762 King Louis XV decreed that Nègres et gens de couleur [Blacks and people of color] must register with the clerk of the Admiralty within two months. Nanon registered herself; La Böessière registered Joseph.
Fencer:
Joseph studied at the fencing academy for 6 years, until he was 19. By that time everyone called him Le Chevalier de Saint-George. [...]
Saint-George had become known in the world of fencing as the god of arms.
[...]
Le Concert des amateurs:
Saint-George had mastered both the harpsichord and the violin. Successful composers who dedicated works to him included Antonio Lolli in 1764 and François-Joseph Gossec in 1766. It is believed that he had been tutored in violin by Jean-Marie Leclair, another important composer of the time, and had studied composition with Gossec. Saint-George participated in the founding of Le Concert des amateurs in 1769. He became the first violin and the batteur de mesure, or timekeeper, of the ensemble. [...]
Violinist & Composer:
Saint-George first composed a Concerto for Harp. Subsequently, he and Gossec were among the earliest French composers of string quartets, symphony concertantes, and quartet concertantes. His first string quartets were performed in the salons of Paris in 1772. They were published in the spring of 1773.
[...]
Conductor:
Saint-George became Conductor of Le Concert de amateurs in 1773, combining his duties with composing. He produced 7 violin concertos and 2 symphony concertantes in the next two years. In 1775, only two years after Saint-George became Conductor, L'Almanach Musical [The Musical Almanac] wrote that the ensemble was "the best orchestra for symphonies in Paris and perhaps in Europe".
New Racial Controls:
Religious leaders urged King Louis XVI to abolish slavery. About 1776 he condemned the practice himself. Reaction from slave owners and traders was so strong that new racial controls were adopted in 1778. The King ordered Nègres, mulâtres et gens de couleur [Blacks, mulattos and people of color] living in Paris to carry identity cards. Captains of ships were required to notify the Admiralty before allowing any such persons to disembark in France. Interracial marriages were prohibited if the African or person of African descent had disembarked before August 9, 1777. Saint-George had not always lived in Paris, so he did not carry an identity card.
Don Juan Noir:
Much has been made of Saint-George's reputation as a Don Juan Noir [Black Don Juan]. [...] Saint-George did have at least one serious romantic relationship, but racial attitudes made it impossible for him to marry anyone at his level of society.
Musical Theater:
Although rejected for the post at the Paris Opera, Saint-George was later appointed music director of the private theater of the Marquise de Montesson. He directed 2 to 3 performances each week. He also served as Lieutenant of the Hunt for her husband, Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans. The composer's first musical comedy was a 3-act work, Ernestine, for which he wrote only the music. Its first performance, on July 18, 1777, drew warm applause. A second staging, at the larger Comédie-Italienne, was given good reviews in the press for the music but was panned for its lyrics.
Professional Peak:
Professor Ribbe writes that by 1778 Saint-George had reached his professional peak as a composer. [...]
Queen Marie-Antoinette
Early in 1779, Saint-George began performing music with Queen Marie-Antoinette at Versailles, at her request. Professor Ribbe notes that some people were unhappy about the arrangement. One night that spring, Saint-George and a companion were walking alone when 6 men attacked them. The two defended themselves until a passing police patrol arrested several of the assailants. They were quickly released from jail when they were identified as members of the secret police at Versailles! It was obvious that someone in power had ordered his murder, so Saint-George began taking precautions to avoid further incidents. [...]
Performances in Two Countries:
Saint-George's trips to England introduced him to the country's anti-slavery movement. He helped found a French group called the Société des amis des noirs [Society of the Friends of Black People]. He also produced a children's musical, Aline et Dupré ou Le Marchand des marrons [Aline and Dupré or The Chestnut Seller]. It was staged on August 9, 1788. As a violinist, Saint-George gave concerts in England as well as France. One dark evening in January 1790 on which he was scheduled to perform in England he was walking alone, carrying his violin, when a man with a pistol and a stick tried to rob him. He fought off the robber, only to be attacked by 4 more men. He overpowered them as well.
French Revolution:
Saint-George was living in Lille when the French Revolution broke out in July, 1789. He joined the National Guard in Lille later that year. He obtained the rank of Captain in 1790. Saint-George the soldier was still a musician and a fencer, so he organized concerts and fencing demonstrations in Lille while stationed in the city. He even wrote an opera, Guillaume-Tout-Coeur ou les Amis de village [William-All-Heart or The Village Friends]. An actor from Lille wrote the lyrics for the work, which was performed September 8, 1790. Saint-George's connections with the Ancien Régime now made him the object of great suspicion, so he began signing his name Monsieur de Saint-George.
Saint-George Legion:
Members of the National Guard were asked to volunteer for active duty, so Saint-George enlisted on June 21, 1791 as an aide-de-camp to two generals. He soon received another call to duty. On September 1, 1791 a delegation of men of color, led by Julien Raimond of Saint-Domingue, asked the National Assembly to allow them to fight in defense of the Revolution and its egalitarian ideals. The next day, the Assembly approved a corps comprised mainly of men of color, with 800 infantry and 200 cavalry personnel. Saint-George was appointed to be its Colonel. Its official name was légion franche de cavalerie des Américains, but it soon became known to all as the légion Saint-George [Saint-George Legion]. The Colonel chose his friend and protege Alexandre Dumas as Lieutenant-Colonel. Like his Colonel, he was the son of a French aristocrat and an African slave. He later had a son, also named Alexandre Dumas, who won fame as author of The Three Musketeers.
[...]
Le Cercle de l'Harmonie:
In spring 1797 Saint-George returned to Paris and took charge of his final orchestra, Le Cercle de l'Harmonie [Circle of Harmony]. [...]
Death:
Saint-George lived alone in a small apartment in Paris during the last two years of his life. In late spring, 1799 an untreated bladder infection caused him to become weak and feverish. He was taken in and cared for by Nicolas Duhamel, an old friend who had served under him. He died on June 10, 1799.
Slavery:
The Convention had abolished slavery in French colonies on February 4, 1794. The ideal of equality for which Saint-George and his volunteers of color had fought so bravely soon fell into disfavor. Napoleon Bonaparte sent troops to Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue in 1802 with orders to reinstitute slavery. People of color on Guadeloupe fought valiantly under Louis Delgrès, but on May 28, 1802 their defenses fell to General Antoine Richepance. Rather than live as slaves again, hundreds of people blew themselves up in a gunpowder warehouse. Emancipation would not return until 1848. The assault on Saint-Domingue killed people of color by the thousands and still France could not regain control. The former colony declared its independence in 1804, becoming the first Black republic in the world. People of color in France suffered setbacks as well. On May 29, 1802 a secret decree expelled all officers of color from the Army, ending the military career of General Alexandre Dumas."
Quick Links
Latest Comment
Re: hehe - I started Christmas shopping today! I only bought one present but still . . .it's a start! lol
| Terms of Service
| Privacy Policy
