The Chevalier de Saint Georges was born with the name Joseph Bologne in Guadeloupe on December 25th, 1745, to Georges Bologne, a plantation owner, and Nanon, his 17-year-old household slave. Georges was later accused of murder and fled to France before being granted a pardon to return to Guadeloupe. This may have influenced his decision to send his seven-year-old son to France for schooling. Joseph attended a Jesuit boarding school called Angoulême and was watched over by his uncle. At 13, Joseph was enrolled in a fencing program and began to ride horses. He went on to make rapid progress and in 1761 defeated a fencing master in Rouen (Alexandre Picard). Joseph’s victory over Picard was notable because Picard had been known to mock him, calling him “Boëssière’s upstart mulatto”. After graduating from the academy in 1766, Joseph was made a Gendarme du roi (officer of the king). With this also came the title of Chevalier, and after adopting his father’s last name, he went on to be called Chevalier de Saint George. 

Parallel to this time, Chevalier began to study music in Paris. It is unclear whom he specifically studied with, but we do know that he must have seriously studied the violin based on his prodigious technique later in life. However, some musicians that were known to be associated with him are Pierre Gaviniès, Antonio Lolli, and François-Joseph Gossec. 

Three years after graduating from the fencing academy, Chevalier began to play with Gossec’s orchestra, Le Concert des Amateurs, revealing to the public the other half of his talent. Soon after that, he began to compose. His first compositions were inspired by Haydn’s early quartets, and consisted of six string quartets, published by the famed Antoine Bailleux. By 1771, Chevalier was appointed concert master of the Concert des Amateurs. The next year, he debuted as a soloist with the same company, playing his own first two violin concertos. He was met with an overall positive reaction that praised his composition as well as his performance. In 1773, Gossec left the Concert des Amateurs and appointed Chevalier its conductor. Following this change, the group would go on to become one of the best orchestras for symphonies in Paris. Later, due to the poor state of finances in France, the orchestra was forced to disband. Chevalier worked to reform the group and managed to do so with the help of a Freemason Lodge, creating an orchestra filled only with musicians skilled enough to qualify as members in the Freemasons. Following his military career, Chevalier would go on to continue conducting and composing right up until his death at the age of 53. 

Chevalier de Saint Georges shows us the true power of hard work and is a prime example of overcoming the odds. His mastery of multiple subjects as well as his ability to lead and win over the people of France serves as a lesson of perseverance and great strength.