Moreover, he demonstrated excellence as a fencer , an athlete and an accomplished dancer. His historical significance lies partly in his distinctive background as a biracial free man of color.
Born in the French colony of Guadeloupe , his father, Georges Bologne de Saint-Georges, was a wealthy, white plantation owner , while his mother was one of the Creole people Georges kept enslaved. As a young man he won a fencing contest leading to his appointment as a " gendarme de la garde du roi " by king Louis XVI. In , Saint-Georges began conducting the Paris Opera.
However, this prospect was thwarted by opposition from certain performers who resisted the idea of being led by an individual of color. In , he joined a new orchestra Le Concert de la Loge Olympique. Saint-Georges, a contemporary of Mozart , has at times been called the "Black Mozart.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges, also known as Joseph Bologne was born on 25 December in Baillif , Basse-Terre , the illegitimate son of a settler and planter Georges Bologne de Saint-Georges and Nanon, a year-old African slave who served within the family household.
In , Georges Bologne was accused of murder and fled to France. The next year he was visited by his wife, Nanon, and his son. After two years he was granted a royal pardon and returned to Guadeloupe.
