A. Kori Hill
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745–1799), was a virtuoso violinist, composer, conductor, and fencer. His life brought him into contact with many famous people. As the music director of Concert de la Loge Olympique, he commissioned the six “Paris” symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn and sometimes Queen Marie Antoinette of France would attend his orchestra concerts. Saint-Georges composed operas, concertos, string quartets, sonatas, and symphonies. But since we’re still in concerto land, we’ll discuss his Violin Concerto Op. 5, No. 2 in A major and Op. 7, No. 1 in A major.
Unlike Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Saint-Georges didn’t intend for these concertos to have an extra-musical meaning. But that doesn’t make them any less exciting or inventive.
Saint-Georges’ Violin Concerto Op. 7, No. 1 was published in 1777. The concerto is a good example of music from the Classical era, written for solo violin, string orchestra and basso continuo. Musicologists often see the Classical era as running from 1750–1830. Classical music of this period was defined by the galant style, which prioritized symmetrical phrasing; restrained emotion; and simple textures (solo voice supported by harmony).
Saint-Georges’ Op. 7, No. 1 concerto is galant style all the way—the melody of I. Allegro moderato is elegant and light with textures that aren’t thick and complex. II. Adagio con espressione is lyrical and a little more emotional, but not too much. Again, the textures are sparse. III. Allegro moderato has the most fire of the movements, with the rhythms, form, and tempo creating a dance-like character.
Saint-Georges’ Violin Concerto Op. 5, No. 2 was published earlier, in 1775. It also calls for solo violin, string orchestra, and basso continuo. The theme of the. I. Allegro moderato is fun and infectious. The first orchestral section serves as an introduction. When the soloist enters, they’re not here to repeat what was just said but take the material in a new direction. II. Largo is open and emotionally honest. III. Rondeau is charming and energizing, bringing more of the Baroque period fire into the solo and orchestral parts.
Saint-Georges joined his contemporaries in setting a standard for concertos’ final movements: use fast, energizing rhythms with a dance-like character OR use a pre-existing dance style for the movement (a rondeau is a dance-music form with roots in the Middle Ages and Renaissance).
Like Vivaldi, Saint-Georges did not always get his due after he passed away. But the last few decades have witnessed an increase in people performing and recording his works. In the next blog post, we’ll look at The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi.
