CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES Symphony in D Major , op . 11 , No . 2
“ The most accomplished man in Europe .” — John Adams referring to Chevalier de Saint-Georges after meeting him in Paris .
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1745 in Basse-Terre , Guadeloupe ; died 1799 in Paris , France
• Chevalier de Saint-Georges was born in Guadeloupe to a wealthy plantation owner and Nanon , an enslaved woman who worked as a maid for the Boulogne family .
• In 1753 , Saint-Georges ’ father took him to France for his education , enrolling him in a boarding school . Nanon joined them two years later , and the family resided in the Saint-Germain neighborhood of Paris .
• Saint-Georges was a multi-talented individual who became popular in court life . He studied fencing and quickly developed into a prodigy , defeating some of the best swordsmen in France by age 15 .
• Saint-Georges also showed great musical talent . He won a position as concertmaster of Le Concert des Amateurs , which , despite its name , was one of the premier orchestras in Europe . Saint-Georges eventually became the conductor of the ensemble . In this role , he wrote and premiered many of his own works and was responsible for commissioning six symphonies by Haydn .
• Life changed for Saint-Georges during the French Revolution . Despite his aristocratic upbringing , he faced discrimination throughout his life in France due the prevalence of racism . At the onset of the Revolution , Saint-Georges was moved by the movement ’ s declaration to give equal rights to all French people and dedicated himself to the cause . He was one of the first Black colonels in the French army and led 800 infantrymen and 200 cavalries in Europe ’ s first all-Black regiment .
• Saint-Georges came out of the Revolution a hero , but his fortunes were precarious at the time due to the paranoid atmosphere of post-war France . He was even imprisoned for a year and , when released , was unable to restart his military or musical careers .
• Saint-Georges died with his wealth diminished , and his music was largely forgotten in the mainstream Western classical repertoire . He was a singularly talented man , who in addition to his many accomplishments as an athlete and musician , risked a great deal to fight for the rights of others .
FUN FACT
Saint-Georges was one of Marie Antoinette ’ s music teachers . He was eventually relieved of his duties after the two became “ too close .”
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1775
MUSIC Joseph Haydn ’ s Il Ritorno di Tobia
LITERATURE Jane Austen is born
TECHNOLOGY James Watts builds his prototype of the steam engine
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Saint-Georges ’ Symphony in D Major was the composer ’ s second symphony and is thought to have been written in 1775 . As with many of the composer ’ s works , the symphony was premiered by Le Concert des Amateurs .
• This spirited classical work is the same as the overture to L ’ Amant Anonyme ( The Anonymous Lover ), Chevalier ’ s lone surviving opera .
HISTORY The American Revolution begins
BSO SESSIONS | JANUARY 2021
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