Chevalier de Saint-Georges

French virtuoso violinist, composer, conductor, and fencing master

Joseph Bologne de Saint-Georges · 约瑟夫·布洛涅，圣乔治骑士 · ジョゼフ・ブローニュ・シュヴァリエ・ド・サン＝ジョルジュ

Born

25 December 1745, Baillif

Died

10 June 1799, Paris

Citizenship

France

Sport

fencing

Occupation

composer, conductor, fencer, concertmaster, military personnel

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George(s) (; French: [ʒozɛf bɔlɔɲ]; 25 December 1745 – 9 June 1799) was a French violinist, conductor, composer, and soldier of African descent. Moreover, he demonstrated excellence as a fencer, an athlete, and a dancer. His historical significance lies partly in his distinctive background as a biracial free man of colour. Bologne was the first classical composer of African descent to attain widespread acclaim in Western music. He composed an array of violin concertos, string quartets, sinfonia concertantes, violin duets, sonatas, two symphonies, and an assortment of stage works, notably opéra comique.

Teachers

• Antonio Lolli
• Pierre Gaviniès
• Nicolas Texier de la Boëssière
• François Joseph Gossec
• Jean-Marie Leclair

External links

• Wikipedia
• IMDb
• Wikidata

Facts from Wikidata Q726953 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.