Monsieur de Saint-George: Virtuoso, Swordsman, Revolutionary: A Legendary Life Rediscovered
Joseph Saint-George (1739-99) was the son of a slave mother, Nanon, and an aristocrat come to Guadeloupe to seek his fortune. In 1748, the family returned to Paris, where Nanon was freed, and Joseph, showing great promise as a musician, was sent to the premier fencing school, where he excelled in fencing, running, horsemanship, dancing--and music. The salons of Paris welcomed him, and soon he was directing chamber orchestras and composing songs and chamber music for Paris' salons, and symphonies, concertos, operas, and theater music, too. The Enlightenment was enjoying its heyday, and Saint-George supported the social revolution and served subsequently as a colonel in the revolutionary army. Guede treats slavery in the French colonies and the events leading to the French Revolution, in which Saint-George played minor roles, much more thoroughly than he does Saint-George's music. The dandy, royal sweetheart, fencer, huntsman, military commander, and diplomat Saint-George is the subject of this story, and Guede weaves him into the fabric of eighteenth-century France while lighting his path through tumultuous times.Alan HirschCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved