Chavalier de Saint Georges

As a man born to a French aristocrat and his African slave, Saint Geroges overcame many difficulties to become the most famous French "mulatto" of his time. With the help of his father, he spent much of his life trying to fit in as a member of the aristocracy. Once he had demonstrated his expertice in fencing, he took to the violin and proved to have natural talent. Saint Georges' race prevented him from obtaining the position of director of the Paris Opera House because the three leading ladies wrote a letter to the queen expressing their unwillingness to submit to the directions of a "mulatto." What made matters worse was that there was no one else who had qualifications similar to Saint Georges', so the Opera House didn't hire anyone at all. With the overthrowing of the aristocracy during the French Revolution, Saint Georges' lifetime of trying to fit in almost resulted in his execution. While he was spared, most of his works died with the Revolution.

Saint Georges' compositions are known for their intricacies, such as playing very high up on the frets and then suddenly dropping back down. watching the video, I was particularly fascinated listening to his Adagio Violin Concerto in D Major. It is a very melancholic piece, especially in the beginning. It is sad that for the man who became the first black composer and garnered much success, we have failed to recognize him for his accomplishments. While he was a celebrity in his time, worked with Haydn and other famous composers, and even inspired one of Mozart's compositions, Saint Georges failed to make it in the repertoire of the "greats" we study and listen to in our history and music lessons.