Notes for: August 4, 2021
If you were to write a movie script telling the Chevalier de Saint-George’s story, it probably would be rejected as being too implausible. How could the son of a slave, born in Guadeloupe, grow up to be a legendary figure in late 18th century France – a champion fencer, a gifted composer and conductor, a virtuoso violinist who played piano and violin duets with Marie Antoinette, the heroic commander of an all-black regiment during the French Revolution, and a charming and popular courtier known for his grace as a dancer?
He was born Joseph Bologne. His father, George, was a wealthy French plantation owner in Guadeloupe; his mother was a slave and George’s mistress. When Joseph was eight his father took him to France and enrolled him in an elite boarding school, where his extraordinary athletic and musical talents emerged. At 18 he became an officer in Louis XV’s court and assumed the title of Chevalier. From then on, he excelled on dual paths. He took part in fencing exhibitions throughout his life, and many considered him the finest fencer in Europe. His musical life thrived too: He was a greatly admired violinist, composer, and conductor, directing several of Paris’s leading orchestras and, among other things, conducting the premieres of Haydn’s six “Paris” symphonies. His violin concerts filled the salons, and his concertos and symphonies won raves. But although he was one of the most accomplished men of his age, and although he traveled in the highest social circles, life wasn’t always easy for him. After he was proposed for the directorship of the Paris Opera, singers and musicians objected, petitioning the queen that their “honor and their delicate conscience could never allow them to submit to the orders of a mulatto.” Saint-George withdrew his application.
Saint-George composed 14 violin concertos, 2 symphonies, and many sonatas, string quartets, songs, and operas. The B-Flat Major Sonata on today’s program is from a set of six sonatas for two violins that were published posthumously in 1800. Like the Chevalier himself, this two-movement Sonata, while brief, is elegant, technically assured, virtuosic, and full of life. Musical lines pass effortlessly between the two violins in the nimble, harmonious opening movement, which takes a surprising minor turn in the development. The Aria con Variatione begins quietly with a graceful song and ends with a bang, with a virtuosic third variation that is as dazzling as it is fun.