Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Joseph Bognar

College

Arts and Sciences

Discipline(s)

Music

ORCID Identifier(s)

0009-0004-9310-0111

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-25-2024

Abstract

The enigmatic figure of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges(1745-99), has been a subject of romance and adventure since the early 19th century. Joseph Bologne was a composer, conductor, and violinist who made many contributions to the sinfonia concertante, a popular orchestral work that emerged in Paris around 1770.It captured the imagination of the public by offering two or more soloists "competing: with each other as well as with the orchestra, in a sort of contest. Bologne played an important role in the musical life of pre-revolutionary France. He also produced violin concertos and some of the earliest keyboard-violin sonatas, wrote operas, and was among the very first French composers to write string quartets. Bologne was the son of a plantation owner and his African mistress. As a young man, he studied with Gossec, a principal composer of 18th-century France, whose symphonies and chamber works helped shape the orchestral forms of the Classical period. Researcher Barry Brook's (1962) work contributed enormously to our modern reevaluation of Bologne. The framework that this paper will be geared toward will be from a historical and music analytic perspective. It will be unearthing parts of Bologne's life that were lost due to the unfortunate past of history due to prejudice towards musicians of color. Composers such as Hadyn and Mozart drew inspiration from Bologne, more than what history has revealed. Not only has Joseph Bologne impacted famous composers and contributed to the sinfonia concertante, he is still impacting music today.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Dahliah Wilkes is a senior Music and French double major who resides in Valparaiso, IN. Dahliah was inspired to do research on Joseph Bologne after discovering a work that referenced Joseph Bologne as being "the Black Mozart". After doing much digging, she found concrete evidence that suggested that Joseph Bologne was a lot greater than people credit him for. From there, that is how The Untold truth of master composer, Joseph Bologne was birthed.

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