This Week in Classical Music: December 20, 2021.Christmas and Joseph Boulogne.The Holidays are coming, and we wish all our listeners Merry Christmas!For years we’ve been celebrating it with portions of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio; last year we completed the cycle.There’s nothing wrong with listening to it again and again, as the music is absolutely magnificent, and we’ll certainly do so in the future, but in the meantime, we’ll turn to some other Christmas music that often goes unnoticed.Here is, for example, one of Telemann’s Christmas cantatas, Die Hirten bei der Krippe zu Bethlehem (The shepherds at the manger in Bethlehem), TWV 1:797.It’s performed by the Telemann Kammerorchester, Kammerchor Michaelstein and soloists under the direction of Ludger Remy
Also this week is the birthday of the French composer Joseph Boulogne, known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges (he was born December 25th, 1745).Our guest writer and flutist Aleah Fitzwater has written an entry about him, below.
Joseph Boulogne, also known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a man of many talents. He was a virtuosic violinist, composer, and conductor. He was born in December 1745, in a French colony on the island called Guadeloupe. Joseph was the son of a plantation owner, Pierre Boulogne. However, the plantation owner had Joseph out of wedlock. His mother was a slave who belonged to Pierre Boulongne’s wife. Her name was Anne Nanon. Anne Nanon was Sengalese. Throughout his life, Joseph struggled to fit fully into French society due to his mixed heritage.
Boulogne ended up moving quite a lot in his youth. He and his family eventually settled back down in France, though, where they knew that the prejudice towards people of mixed race would be less severe.
A Swordsman First.Joseph Boulogne began fencing when he was just 13 years old.X`He became known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges due to his talent as a swordsman. This name was given to him by Louis XV. Chevalier literally translates to Knight. He was also given the nickname ‘The God of Arms’ before he reached the age of twenty.
Early Compositions.Chevalier Saint-George began composing around 1770, when he was about 25 years old. Historians don’t know much about the beginning of his musical education. His early compositions were primarily string quartets. He also wrote several sonatas during this time. In 1772, he premiered his Violin Concertos in G (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzITCuc4IbM)
Famous Connections.Saint-George went on to study with the French composers Gossec and Leclair. Gossec had created Concert de Amateurs, the group with which Saint-George initially premiered, and would later go on to conduct. But Chevalier’s connections with famous individuals didn’t end there. In 1779, he began to perform with Queen Antoinette (blackpast.org).
King Louis XVI’s Harsh Rule.Despite Chevalier’s wild success and performances with the queen, his life was far from easy. King Louis XVI was ruling at the time. While it is uncertain whether the King approved of Saint-George’s performances with the Queen, Louis XVI was expressly against abolishing slavery, and forbade interracial marriages. These strict laws would continue to be present throughout much of the composer's life. (Continue reading here).
It was once rumored that he was having an affair with Marie Antoinette. Such accusations lead him to be attacked by local policemen, on one occasion.
Popular Pieces.Saint-Georges pieces had begun to gain traction immediately after his first premiers. He composed works for many settings, such as for orchestra, chamber ensembles, violin, and voice. According to ParkerSymphony.org, his compositions include:
“3 sets of string quartets, 2 symphonies, 8 symphonie-concertantes, 6 operas comiques, three violin sonatas, 14 violin concertos, a sonata for harp and flute, a bassoon concerto, a clarinet concerto, a cello concerto, six violin duos, and a number of songs.”
Symphonie-Concertantes.Quartets and symphonies are much more popular than the form of symphonie-concertante. A symphony-concertante is a piece for orchestra that features one or two soloists over top of the ensemble. Buskaid, a group from South Africa, recorded a lovely movement from one of his popular Symphonie-Concertantes. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRBUA5rgaLs
Operas.As Chevalier got older, he started to favor writing opera over symphonic and chamber works. The term Opera Comique, is a false cognate. In other words, it’s a subgenre of opera that includes dialogue and singing.
His 1780 opera L'amant Anonyme (Anonymous Lover) became wildly popular. The main character is afraid to tell his partner who he really is. Many historians speculate that the plotline to L’amant Anonyme is semi-autobiographical. You can listen to the overture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0_uf1RZYpw
Later Life.Chevalier became more active in politics as he grew older. He began aiding the Revolutionary Army in 1789 after he gained rights under France’s new laws. At one point during this period, he was arrested for playing music instead of helping with the political issues of the time!
Saint-Georges passed away at the age of 53, in Paris, France. After his passing, his death certificate was actually lost in a fire. But his name is gaining popularity today.
The Inappropriate Nickname.Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ nickname ‘the black Mozart’ has stuck around for decades. Artaria.com states that he was known to be one of the ‘most accomplished men of his age’ which is a much more fitting description for the composer.
In Conclusion:Chevalier Saint-Georges had both the theoretical knowledge and creativity comparable to that of his contemporaries, like Mozart and Haydn. If you have a minute, check out some of his compositions. It will be time well spent!
About the Author: Aleah Fitzwater is a studio flute teacher and music blogger for https://scan-score.com/en/ and https://aleahfitzwater.com/. In her free time, she enjoys arranging rock songs for flute and cooking French cuisine.
Christmas 2021 and Joseph Boulogne
This Week in Classical Music: December 20, 2021. Christmas and Joseph Boulogne. The Holidays are coming, and we wish all our listeners Merry Christmas! For years we’ve been
celebrating it with portions of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio; last year we completed the cycle. There’s nothing wrong with listening to it again and again, as the music is absolutely magnificent, and we’ll certainly do so in the future, but in the meantime, we’ll turn to some other Christmas music that often goes unnoticed. Here is, for example, one of Telemann’s Christmas cantatas, Die Hirten bei der Krippe zu Bethlehem (The shepherds at the manger in Bethlehem), TWV 1:797. It’s performed by the Telemann Kammerorchester, Kammerchor Michaelstein and soloists under the direction of Ludger Remy
Also this week is the birthday of the French composer Joseph Boulogne, known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges (he was born December 25th, 1745). Our guest writer and flutist Aleah Fitzwater has written an entry about him, below.
Joseph Boulogne, also known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a man of many talents. He was a virtuosic violinist, composer, and conductor. He was born in December 1745, in a
French colony on the island called Guadeloupe. Joseph was the son of a plantation owner, Pierre Boulogne. However, the plantation owner had Joseph out of wedlock. His mother was a slave who belonged to Pierre Boulongne’s wife. Her name was Anne Nanon. Anne Nanon was Sengalese. Throughout his life, Joseph struggled to fit fully into French society due to his mixed heritage.
Boulogne ended up moving quite a lot in his youth. He and his family eventually settled back down in France, though, where they knew that the prejudice towards people of mixed race would be less severe.
A Swordsman First. Joseph Boulogne began fencing when he was just 13 years old. X`He became known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges due to his talent as a swordsman. This name was given to him by Louis XV. Chevalier literally translates to Knight. He was also given the nickname ‘The God of Arms’ before he reached the age of twenty.
Early Compositions. Chevalier Saint-George began composing around 1770, when he was about 25 years old. Historians don’t know much about the beginning of his musical education. His early compositions were primarily string quartets. He also wrote several sonatas during this time. In 1772, he premiered his Violin Concertos in G (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzITCuc4IbM)
Famous Connections. Saint-George went on to study with the French composers Gossec and Leclair. Gossec had created Concert de Amateurs, the group with which Saint-George initially premiered, and would later go on to conduct. But Chevalier’s connections with famous individuals didn’t end there. In 1779, he began to perform with Queen Antoinette (blackpast.org).
King Louis XVI’s Harsh Rule. Despite Chevalier’s wild success and performances with the queen, his life was far from easy. King Louis XVI was ruling at the time. While it is uncertain whether the King approved of Saint-George’s performances with the Queen, Louis XVI was expressly against abolishing slavery, and forbade interracial marriages. These strict laws would continue to be present throughout much of the composer's life. (Continue reading here).
It was once rumored that he was having an affair with Marie Antoinette. Such accusations lead him to be attacked by local policemen, on one occasion.
Popular Pieces. Saint-Georges pieces had begun to gain traction immediately after his first premiers. He composed works for many settings, such as for orchestra, chamber ensembles, violin, and voice. According to ParkerSymphony.org, his compositions include:
“3 sets of string quartets, 2 symphonies, 8 symphonie-concertantes, 6 operas comiques, three violin sonatas, 14 violin concertos, a sonata for harp and flute, a bassoon concerto, a clarinet concerto, a cello concerto, six violin duos, and a number of songs.”
Symphonie-Concertantes. Quartets and symphonies are much more popular than the form of symphonie-concertante. A symphony-concertante is a piece for orchestra that features one or two soloists over top of the ensemble. Buskaid, a group from South Africa, recorded a lovely movement from one of his popular Symphonie-Concertantes. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRBUA5rgaLs
Operas. As Chevalier got older, he started to favor writing opera over symphonic and chamber works. The term Opera Comique, is a false cognate. In other words, it’s a subgenre of opera that includes dialogue and singing.
His 1780 opera L'amant Anonyme (Anonymous Lover) became wildly popular. The main character is afraid to tell his partner who he really is. Many historians speculate that the plotline to L’amant Anonyme is semi-autobiographical. You can listen to the overture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0_uf1RZYpw
Later Life. Chevalier became more active in politics as he grew older. He began aiding the Revolutionary Army in 1789 after he gained rights under France’s new laws. At one point during this period, he was arrested for playing music instead of helping with the political issues of the time!
Saint-Georges passed away at the age of 53, in Paris, France. After his passing, his death certificate was actually lost in a fire. But his name is gaining popularity today.
The Inappropriate Nickname. Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ nickname ‘the black Mozart’ has stuck around for decades. Artaria.com states that he was known to be one of the ‘most accomplished men of his age’ which is a much more fitting description for the composer.
In Conclusion: Chevalier Saint-Georges had both the theoretical knowledge and creativity comparable to that of his contemporaries, like Mozart and Haydn. If you have a minute, check out some of his compositions. It will be time well spent!
About the Author: Aleah Fitzwater is a studio flute teacher and music blogger for https://scan-score.com/en/ and https://aleahfitzwater.com/. In her free time, she enjoys arranging rock songs for flute and cooking French cuisine.