Born in Baillif, Guadeloupe, on December 25, 1745, and deceased in Paris in early June 1799 — his death announced in the Journal de Paris of June 14 —, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George, was one of the most remarkable figures of the Enlightenment. The son of Georges de Bologne Saint-George, a Creole planter, and Nanon, an emancipated slave woman, he was brought to France as a child and received an aristocratic education in fencing, dance, and music.
In Paris, he soon distinguished himself as a virtuoso violinist, conductor, and composer. He directed the Concert des Amateurs and later the Concert de la Loge Olympique, famed for its excellence and for commissioning Haydn’s Paris Symphonies. His elegant, balanced style combines French classical clarity with refined instrumental brilliance. His works — violin concertos, symphonies concertantes, string quartets, sonatas, and comic operas — exemplify the galant aesthetic of eighteenth-century France.
A man of the Enlightenment, Saint-George was equally noted for his civic engagement. A legendary fencer, nicknamed the “God of Arms,” he moved within progressive circles, notably the Society of the Friends of the Blacks and enlightened Masonic lodges. In 1792, he commanded the Legion of the Americans and the South, also known as the Black Legion, which was composed of free men of colour fighting for the French Republic. This military leadership, often overlooked, reflects his profound commitment to the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
After his death, his name quickly faded from public memory. The restoration of slavery in 1802 in France erased figures of colour from the national narrative. Only in the twentieth century did research restore his true origins and historical importance.
The present transcription for guitar and flute in D major, based on the Sonata for Harp with Flute Accompaniment in E-flat major (ca. 1778–1779), preserves the transparency and expressive dialogue of the original while adapting it to the resonant timbre of the guitar. It pays tribute to a composer whose life and art embody the universal humanist ideals of the Enlightenment.
