Joseph Boulogne, the first Black Freemason from Europe

[Ferran]

Some days ago we had a discussion here about the "universality" of the French Republic and the un-Frenchness of its symbols. So well, I thought people here could be interested in reading this biography about M. de Saint-George, who even if being most known for his musical career, had many episodes in his life that could definitely convince all those who still remained doubtful about the subject of the French Revolution and its aims (although I'm sure you already know that the "peuple" received no power from it).

Here I put a link to the book and a synopsis:

Monsieur de Saint-George - Guede, Alain - 9780312309 - Distribuidora de libros en español - Distribuidora de biblias - Comprar libros - Venta al por mayor - Proveedor de libros - libros en español wholesaler - Distribucion de libros

Monsieur de Saint-George. The first full biography of one of the greatest figures of eighteenth-century Europe, known in his time as the "Black Mozart." Virtually forgotten until now, his life is the stuff of legend. Born in 1739 in Guadeloupe to a slave mother and a French noble father, he became the finest swordsman of his age, an insider at the doomed court of Louis XVI, and, most of all, a virtuosic musician. A violinist, he directed the Olympic Society of Concerts, which was considered the finest in Europe in an age of great musicians, including Haydn, from whom he commissioned a symphony, and Mozart, to whom he was often compared. He also became the first Freemason of color, embracing the French Revolution with the belief that it would end the racism against which - despite his illustrious achievements - he struggled his whole life. This is the life of Joseph Bologne, known variously as Monsieur de Saint-George, the "Black Mozart," and, because of his origins, "the American." Alain Guede offers a fascinating account of this extraordinary individual, whose musical compositions are at long last being revived and whose story will never again be forgotten.