The mysterious Chevalier de Saint-George, a virtuoso black musician at the court of Marie-Antoinette

Did you notice that in the movie Marie Antoinette (2006) by Sophie Coppola a mysterious mulatto appears teaching music to the queen? Have you ever wondered who you are?

He biopic Knight, which will be released soon, is inspired by his story. It is Joseph Boulogne of Saint-George (1745-1799), says the knight of Saint-Georges. He was a mulatto musician, born of the love between a rich landowner and his slave of Senegalese origin, who had to face the racism of the French society of his time.

He distinguished himself as a composer, violinist and conductor. He became the best swordsman of his time and the first black colonel in the French army. However, after his death in 1799, he fell into oblivion, where he remained for almost two centuries.

The origins of Joseph

Saint George He was born on December 25, 1745 on the island of Guadeloupe, a French colony in the Caribbean. His father saw to it that he received the best education in all the disciplines prescribed to the aristocracy, such as dancing, fencing and music.

However, he couldn’t help noticing that he was not like the others. An anecdote collected by Odet Denys here is how he illustrates it:

“Once Joseph tried to stop a planter from whipping an African slave and ended up being whipped himself. He returned with tears in his eyes to the arms of his mother, who reminded him that he would always be the son of a slave: “From now on, my son, you will know that, although you are the son of a white man, you are also the son of a black woman. You must know where I come from and where you come from.

At the age of ten, the family moved to Paris, where joseph caught the eye of the owner of the fencing school La Boessiere. He enters to study there at the age of thirteen and is quickly recognized as an unbeatable swordsman.

He combines his saber training with the practice of the violin thanks to the teachings of Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764), the most brilliant violinist of the French school, and was initiated into the art of composition by the hands of Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829), who will dedicate his six trios (Opus 9) to him.

A fencer like no other…

His exploits with the sword have earned him frequent comparisons to Joseph Tartini (1692-1770), violin virtuoso of Italian origin who was also a formidable swordsman. But joseph Was beyond. Among his many achievements is the victory he won in 1761, at only sixteen years old, against the famous fencing master Alexandre Picard.

He was soon appointed Gendarme de la Garde du Roi et Chevalier (“Knight”).

When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, he enlisted to support the revolutionaries in the National Guard of the city of Lille, where he resided at the time. It was important to him to fight against slavery in the French colonies. Later, a body of troops of 1000 men of African origin was formed, and named Saint George colonel responsible for recruiting, formalizing and equipping the corps. Saint George he thus became the first black colonel in the French army.

… and a virtuoso musician

In 1769, when the aforesaid Gossec founded on Concert of Amateursdid not hesitate to name Saint George first violin and, some time later, conductor.

From his hand the institution became “the best symphony orchestra in Paris and perhaps in Europe”, as described in 1775 by the music almanac. He has also conducted other formations, such as the orchestra of Madame de Montessonhe Concert of the Olympic Lodge or the circle of harmonylocated no less than in the Royal Palace of Paris.

With curiosity, Saint George was responsible for negotiating the contract with Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) for his six symphonies of paris (1785-1786), the premiere of which took place in the capital under his direction.

However, if something is striking in the story of Saint George is his relationship with the queen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793).

In 1774, when the young monarch was 19, he named him his music teacher, and a few years later it was his. Marie Antoinette who proposed him as director of Paris Opera. He justified his surprising decision in the musical skills of Saint George and in his success in converting the Concert of Amateurs in the envy of the European courts. As you might expect, it was quite a scandal.

Three divas of the moment (the sopranos Sophie Arnold there Rosalie Levasseur and the dancer Marie-Madeleine Guimard) petitioned Marie Antoinette where they affirmed that “their honor and the delicacy of their conscience would never allow them to submit to the orders of a mulatto”.

Saint George he eventually resigned from office so as not to damage the image of the monarch.

his musical work

According Alain Guedeauthor of one of the most important biographies of Saint George, the mulatto musician wrote 215 works, of which, unfortunately, we only know a few. Most of his instrumental compositions, published between 1771 and 1789, were written when he was young. However, its quality is indisputable. His production was mainly dominated by the violin concerto and the symphonie concertante, although the string quartet was also the protagonist.

He composed six operas. All are partially preserved, with the exception of The anonymous loverwhose complete partition is kept by the National Library of France. The opera is based on a text by Stephanie Felicite de Genlis (1746-1830), says Madame de Genlisbestselling author and friend of Saint George.

The return of Saint George

A Saint George Two dates of death can be attributed to him: his death in 1799, at age 53, and 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte reestablished slavery and orchestras stopped playing his music.

It was not until the 20th century that we became interested in the rediscovery of the figures left by the musical canon, among which Saint George. It was then that the nickname “Black Mozart” was applied to him, problematic if one takes into account the fact that he places Mozart as the original since Saint George like its copy, thus perpetuating the Eurocentric vision that has characterized classical music.

Luckily, Saint George He is increasingly known for his own merits, and little by little he manages to regain the place he has always deserved in the history of music.

* She is a Doctor of Musicology, University of La Rioja.

Originally posted on The conversation.

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