Black History Month: The First and the Future
February 21, 2025
WDAV’s First and The Future blog series highlights two Black composers or musicians who have shaped the course of classical music: one who shattered a historical barrier, and one whose extraordinary achievements in the same field continue today.
Violinists: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Randall Goosby
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Joseph Bologne was born on December 25, 1745 in the French colony of Guadeloupe. He was the son of plantation owner Georges de Bologne de Saint-Georges and Anne Nanon, a Senegalese teenager he kept enslaved. Though Joseph was considered of illegitimate birth, Georges Bologne acknowledged his son by giving him his surname, as well as providing him with a standard, formal education. Joseph Bologne proved to be an excellent fencer, athlete, and equestrian, allowing him to receive the formal title Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges and membership in the French Royal Guard.
As part of his education, Saint-Georges began courtly musical training at age seven. He excelled in the harpsichord and violin, so much that Antonio Lolli composed two concerti for him upon his arrival in Paris in 1764. Though little is known about Saint-Georges’ early training, his virtuosic techniques as an adult imply rigorous practice from childhood. By the late 1760s, he was one of the most sought-after musicians in France. In 1771, François-Joseph Gossec appointed Saint-Georges concertmaster of the Concert des Amateurs. He would later become the company’s conductor in 1773.
A prodigious composer, Saint-Georges’ works were vastly popular during his lifetime. His first composition, published in the early 1770s, was a set of six string quartets inspired by Franz Haydn’s earlier compositions of the same instrumentation. In total, Saint-Georges composed twelve violin concerti, two symphonies, six operas, six string quartets, six duets, and several sonatas. He was also a proponent of the symphony-concertante, a new genre of orchestral music toward which he wrote eight pieces.
Saint-Georges would go on to found the Concert de la Loge Olympique, a concert company that survived the French Revolution, conducting Haydn’s Paris Symphonies. At the height of his career, Saint-Georges caught the attention of Queen Marie Antoinette, eventually becoming her music teacher. She would recommend him to Louis XVI to lead the Paris Opera, but despite Saint-Georges being a clear choice for the role, he was turned away due to a petition formed by three of the Opera’s leading ladies.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges lived an incredible life as a musician, composer, and soldier. Most notably, he was the first biracial composer of African descent to accomplish widespread success in classical music at a time when acclaim for artists of color was rare. Though his exceptional gifts were often overshadowed by racism during his lifetime, we celebrate his music and legacy today as a pioneer for Black representation in classical music.
Sources and Further Reading
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Minnesota Opera)
More Famous Than Mozart: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Charlotte Symphony)
Le Chevalier De Saint-Georges: Fencer, Composer, Revolutionary (WBUR)
Randall Goosby
Randall Goosby is a young Black-Korean American concert violinist “poised for the big time.” At twenty-nine years old, he has already received some of the highest honors in classical music, including the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and has made debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and many other world-class ensembles.
A San Diego native, Goosby’s musical career began at just age seven, when he began studying violin. He went on to make his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at nine. This turned out to be a launching point for an admirable young artist’s resume that includes a New York Philharmonic debut and winning the prestigious Sphinx Concerto Competition, all by the age of thirteen. During his time at Julliard, he trained with notable violinists such as Catherine Cho and Itzhak Perlman, eventually earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees of Music and an Artist Diploma.
Goosby was signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020. He subsequently released his debut album, Roots, in 2021, which the New York Times praised for its unique spotlight on Black composers for a debut album. Roots features the premiere of a work by bassist Xavier Dubois Foley as well as the first recordings of recently discovered Florence Price works.
In an interview, Goosby stated that the repertoire chosen for this album was intended to make a statement, saying “I felt it was a great opportunity to express my thanks and pay homage to just a few artists of colour who in my mind really paved the way for me to do what I do.” And Goosby is paving the way for future musicians of color as well. He works with several nonprofits, including the Opportunity Music Project and Concerts in Motion in New York City.
Interestingly enough, Randall Goosby’s violin playing was featured in Chevalier (2022), a biographical drama about Joseph Bologne. In the film, Goosby can be heard performing Saint-Georges’ Violin Concerto in G Major.
Sources and Further Reading
Randall Goosby Speaks About Inspiring Others Through Music (WETA)
Randall Goosby’s Favorite Violin Concerto? “I’m a sucker for anything lyrical and beautiful.” (San Francisco Classical Voice)