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Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George was a French violinist, conductor, composer and soldier. Moreover he demonstrated excellence as a fencer, an athlete and an accomplished dancer. His historical significance lies partly in his distinctive background as a biracial free man of color. Bologne was the first classical composer of African descent to attain widespread acclaim in European music. He composed an array of violin concertos, string quartets, sinfonia concertantes, violin duets, sonatas, two symphonies and an assortment of stage works, notably opéra comique. Born in the French colony of Guadeloupe, his father, Georges Bologne de Saint-Georges, was a wealthy, white plantation owner, while his mother was one of the Creole people Georges kept enslaved. At the age of seven, he was taken to France where he began his formal education. As a young man he won a fencing contest leading to his appointment as a "gendarme de la garde du roi" by king Louis XVI. Having received music and musical composition lessons, he joined the orchestra Le Concert des Amateurs; culminating in his appointment as its conductor in 1773. In 1776, Saint-Georges began conducting the Paris Opera. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_de_Saint-Georges) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode)

Songs

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1
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Violin Concerto in G Major, Op. 8, No. 2: I. Allegro
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
2
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Scena from "Ernestine"
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Michael Abels, Patricia Janečková, and Michael Skalický
3
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Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Violin Concerto No. 2 in A Major, Op. 5: III. Rondeau
Anne-Sophie Mutter
4
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Chevalier de Saint-Georges: L'Amant anonyme / Act 1: Son amour, sa constance extrême
Samuel Mariño
5
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Violin Concerto in G Major, Op. 8, No. 2: I: Allegro (Quartet Version)
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges & Gareth Murphy

Albums

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Chevalier (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Album • 2023

Singles

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Saint-Georges: L'Amant anonyme / Act 1: Son amour, sa constance extrême

2022

Videos

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Violin Concerto in G Major, Op. 8, No. 2: I. Allegro (From "C...

Randall Goosby, London Contemporary Orchestra, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and Kris Bowers • 49K views
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Symphony No. 1 in G Major by Joseph Bologne (The Chevalier de St. George)

Boise Baroque Summer Music Festival • 23K views
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Scena from "Ernestine" (From "Chevalier")

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Patricia Janečková, Michael Skalický, and Michael Abels • 36K views