The most famous musician you’ve never heard of
Joseph Boulogne was born on a plantation on the French colony of Guadeloupe before becoming the Chevalier de Saint-Georges – one of the most celebrated musicians in Paris. On this episode of You’re Dead to Me, join host Greg Jenner as he talks to historian Professor Olivette Otele and comedian Sophie Duker about the astonishing life of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Joseph was the son of an enslaved woman and a plantation owner
Around 1745, Joseph was born to an enslaved Senegalese woman and a white aristocratic plantation owner on the French colony of Guadeloupe. Unlike many white French aristocrats with illegitimate children, Joseph’s father gave his mixed race son his name and decided that he should be brought up with a noble education. To that end, Joseph and his mother travelled to France with his father in 1748.
Perhaps the most extraordinary man to appear in the history of fencing.Master fencer Nicolas Texier de la Boëssière on Joseph
He was a champion fencer
Before he burst onto the music scene, Joseph proved himself to be an extraordinary athlete. He was a whizz at skating, dancing and swimming, but particularly excelled at fencing. His instructor, master fencer Nicolas Texier de la Boëssière, said he was “perhaps the most extraordinary man to appear in the history of fencing”. When he was just 15 years old, he was beating the strongest fighters in the game. Nicolas also noted that Joseph took great care to never injure anyone – awh!
Joseph became the toast of Paris as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Joseph’s fencing prowess means we don’t know much about his relationship with music as a youngster, but we do know that he became a virtuoso violinist who trained under prestigious instructors. By 1761, he was made a member of the Gendarmes de la garde (Royal Guards), and went on to lead the prestigious Concert des Amateurs in 1773.
According to publications at the time, under Joseph’s leadership the Concert des Amateurs became “the best… for the Symphonies there is in Paris, and perhaps, Europe.” In the 1770s, Joseph composed and performed violin concertos which were highly praised – he even had a few operas under his belt! It is around this time that he became known as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Racist singers blocked his chance at being head of the Paris Opéra
By 1775 Joseph was the frontrunner to become Director at the Paris Opéra. Sadly, some racist singers sent a petition to Queen Marie-Antoinette complaining that they did not want to be led by a “mulatto”. Eugh.
He may have been snubbed by Mozart
The famous composer Wolfgang Mozart visited Paris in 1778, and his father, Leopold Mozart, urged his son to attend one of Joseph’s concerts and may have even suggested a collaboration between them. Historians disagree about whether Mozart snubbed Joseph on purpose, and if this was because of racism, but it seems likely that they never met in public, despite Joseph’s status in Paris at the time of Mozart’s visit to the city. But don’t worry, it seems likely Beethoven was a fan of his work.
You're Dead To Me: The Chevalier de Saint-Georges quiz
How well does Sophie Duker know Chevalier de Saint-Georges?
He was a Revolutionary Rebel
Joseph’s life and work hugely benefited from his close relationship to, and engagement with, the French élite. But when the French Revolution rolled around in 1789, Joseph took the side of the Revolutionaries. In fact, he was among the first people to sign up for Lille’s National Guard and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel of his own regiment. Vive la révolution!
Napoleon is the reason you’ve never heard of him
After Joseph died in 1799, Napoleon seized power in France and began to re-establish slavery in the French Colonies. Guadeloupe, where Joseph was born, resisted and around 6,000 Guadeloupians were killed. Napoleon banned Joseph’s music and removed it from all repertoires, essentially wiping Joseph from the pages of French history.
Napoleon banned Joseph’s music... wiping him from the pages of French history.
There is a street named after Joseph in France
Despite the best efforts of Napoleon, African-Caribbean communities within France, and on Guadeloupe and Martinique, fought throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to have Joseph Boulogne, or the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, remembered and recognised for his extraordinary achievements. You can still listen to his music today, and in 2001 a street in Paris named after the governor of Guadeloupe, Antoine Richepanse, was renamed in Joseph’s honour.
