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
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.