He was a man so talented that he became a favourite of the doomed Queen Marie Antoinette, and was described by the US President as the ‘most accomplished man in Europe.’
But Joseph Bologne, known among his contemporaries as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, certainly did not have the background expected of a member of Parisian high society.
As new film Chevalier depicts, he was born to an enslaved Senegalese maid but still went on to be accomplished at fencing, shooting, dancing and, most famously, music.
The violinist and composer wowed audiences with his string quartets, symphonies and stage works, before falling foul of the French Revolution and ending up being imprisoned.
Bologne, portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr, is seen in Chevalier engaging in a violin battle with famed Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who had come to Paris as a child.
Joseph Bologne, known among his contemporaries as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, certainly did not have the background expected of a member of Parisian high society
Although the depiction is fictional, the pair would likely have known each other, due in part to the fact that they lived in the same ducal palace at the same time.
Both men were also inhabiting the same prestigious circles in both the musical world and that of high society.
Bologne was born on the archipelago of Guadeloupe on Christmas Day in 1745 to French plantation owner Georges de Bologne Saint-Georges.
His mother, known as Nanon, served as a maid to Saint-Georges’ wife.
Bologne was educated in France and, by the age of 17, had impressed at the fencing academy he had been sent to.
He also studied music, mathematics and literature, and particularly excelled in the former.
After being made an officer in the King’s Guard by Louis XV, he adopted the name of his father’s planation, and so became known a Chevalier St George.
Although fictional, the duelling violins scene in the new film does demonstrate Bologne’s remarkable musical talent.
Scores of people would flock to watch his violin concertos, some of which were pioneering.
Some academics have even claimed that Mozart ‘poached’ elements of Bologne’s violin composition for one of his symphonies, pointing out that it featured almost identical phrasing.
John Adams, the second US President, declared him ‘the most accomplished man in Europe in riding, shooting, fencing, dancing and music.’
At one point, he headed up Les Concerts des Amateurs, which under his leadership became known as one of the finest orchestras in Paris.
Bologne, portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr, is seen in Chevalier engaging in a violin battle with famed Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Joseph Prowen), who had come to Paris as a child
Chevalier was released in the UK on Friday. Above: A scene from the film
His performances were attended by the wife of the new King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, who received some private music lessons from the prodigy.
But she did not help him when he faced his biggest crisis. In 1776, he was proposed as the music director of the prestigious Paris Opera.
The prospect of him taking up the post prompted three bitter stars of the opera to complain directly to the Queen that ‘their honour and delicate conscience could never allow them to submit to the orders of a mulatto.’
Then, in 1779, Bologne was assaulted by six men in Paris in an attack that could have killed him.
Prevented from taking up his post at the opera, Bologne turned to social change and championed the abolitionist movement.
Having become a soldier during the bloody French Revolution, which began in 1789, Bologne led a regiment of mostly black troops on the republican side.
However, he ended up being jailed and tortured after falling out with the the new regime, which failed to outlaw slavery as promised.
Bologne’s performances were attended by the wife of the new King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, who received some private music lessons from the prodigy. The queen is portrayed in the film by Lucy Boynton (right)
The cover for the sheet music for two of Bologne’s symphonies is seen above. The works were published in 1779
An illegitimate child he had fathered with a French aristocrat also disappeared in circumstances that remain unknown to this day.
Some historians believe the child was murdered by the Marquis of Montalembert, the husband of the woman he allegedly had an affair with.
In later life, Bologne lived in poor health in Paris, where he became the director of a new orchestra.
By then, his former champion, Marie Antoinette, had been guillotined along with her husband.
Bologne died at the age of 53 in 1799 of an ulcerated bladder. He was unmarried and had no known legitimate children.
The story of his life and influence now features on the music curriculum in British schools, for children aged between five and 14.
