WEBVTT - The Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Excellent or Nothing

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim

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<v Speaker 1>and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. As the

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<v Speaker 1>sun dimmed over the River Seine, Paris's best and brightest

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<v Speaker 1>were gathering for a duel. Towering wigs and tailored suits

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<v Speaker 1>poured out of horse drawn carriages onto cobblestone streets, each

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<v Speaker 1>new arrival with one name on their lips, the Chevalier

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<v Speaker 1>de Saint George. By seventeen seventy five, tales of the

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<v Speaker 1>Saint Georges fencing prowess had spread far beyond France's borders,

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<v Speaker 1>though tonight he stood before his opponent not with a sword,

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<v Speaker 1>but with a beau. More specific, a beau and a violin.

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<v Speaker 1>The audience gathered outside the hall for a performance by

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<v Speaker 1>one of Paris's premier orchestras, the concer de Amateur, who,

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<v Speaker 1>contrary to the way their name sounds, were anything but amateur.

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<v Speaker 1>The orchestra was composed of the city's foremost professional and

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<v Speaker 1>semi professional musicians, born from within the carefully curated ranks

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<v Speaker 1>of the city's social elite. Saint George had initially entered

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<v Speaker 1>into the amateurs upon his reputation playing salons across Paris.

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<v Speaker 1>But in just four short years he had worked his

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<v Speaker 1>way up from mere well amateur to the director of

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<v Speaker 1>the entire ensemble, and tonight he was debuting his newest

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<v Speaker 1>composition that had the whole city of buzz, a symphony concertante.

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<v Speaker 1>The late eighteenth century was the height of the classical

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<v Speaker 1>music era, and symphony concertante were just one of the

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<v Speaker 1>many innovations made within the genre during this time. Unlike

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<v Speaker 1>a typical orchestral performance with an ensemble supporting a single soloist,

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<v Speaker 1>these concerts featured not one, but two soloists, in this

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<v Speaker 1>case violinists playing off each other in tandem, each almost

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<v Speaker 1>trying to outplay the other, as if dueling within the

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<v Speaker 1>piece itself. If you're still having a hard time wrapping

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<v Speaker 1>your head around the concept, just think of the movie

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<v Speaker 1>eight Mile with eminem or on the complete opposite side

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<v Speaker 1>of the film spectrum, the riff off scene in Pitch Perfect.

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<v Speaker 1>Each performer is meant to enhance the overall piece, but

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<v Speaker 1>at its heart, the dual soloists brings something to the

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<v Speaker 1>performance that a typical concert lacks. Competition. Fortunately, for Saint George,

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<v Speaker 1>competition was something of a second nature for him, it

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<v Speaker 1>almost had to be. The audience may have quieted their

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<v Speaker 1>chatter as Saint George and his company took to the

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<v Speaker 1>stage and began tuning their instruments, but their hush did

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<v Speaker 1>untquell the skeptical glances and whispers of condescension pressing toward

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<v Speaker 1>him as the minutes until the performance began continued to

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<v Speaker 1>count down. The truth was the Symphony Concertant may have

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<v Speaker 1>been designed as a competition against another violinist, but Saint

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<v Speaker 1>George's real opponent remained what it had always been his

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<v Speaker 1>entire life, his audience. It would have been enough to

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<v Speaker 1>have been a wealthy, attractive, renowned swordsman turned professional violinist

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<v Speaker 1>directing one of Paris's finest orchestras, all before the age

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<v Speaker 1>of thirty five, but of course that wasn't what the

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<v Speaker 1>audience saw. Instead, the reason that the audience was so

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<v Speaker 1>skeptical of Saint George's success was not because they were

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<v Speaker 1>wary of his talent or success, but because of the

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<v Speaker 1>color of his skin. Born to a French plantation owner

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<v Speaker 1>and an enslaved woman in the French colony of Guadelupe,

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<v Speaker 1>his deep brown complexion held more than the narrative the

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<v Speaker 1>audience consciously or unconsciously projected onto him. Some of his audience,

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<v Speaker 1>no doubt, thought that his quote exotic background added to

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<v Speaker 1>the theatric of it all, a footnote to an anecdote

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<v Speaker 1>they would go on to tell at their next dinner party.

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<v Speaker 1>But for the Chevalier de Saint George, the concertint allowed

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<v Speaker 1>him to do what he did best. He boldly entered

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<v Speaker 1>an arena into which he was expected to conform, and

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<v Speaker 1>proceeded to beat them all at their own game. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Danish schwartz and this is noble blood. Our story begins

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<v Speaker 1>in seventeen fifty three with a man and his son

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<v Speaker 1>on a ship headed into port off the coast of France.

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<v Speaker 1>The man's name was George Boulogne de Saint George, a

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<v Speaker 1>wealthy plantation owner on the small island of Guadalupe, a

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<v Speaker 1>French colony mostly known for their sugar exports. His son, Joseph,

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<v Speaker 1>was accompanying his father to France to receive an education

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<v Speaker 1>he would have been otherwise unable to receive were he

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<v Speaker 1>to stay on his home island. It wasn't due to

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<v Speaker 1>the lack of schooling available on the island, but rather

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<v Speaker 1>due to the nature of the boy's birth. Joseph Bolonne

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<v Speaker 1>was the son of an enslaved woman named Nano, who

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<v Speaker 1>his father, George, had been having an affair with for

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<v Speaker 1>nearly a decade. I want to make it absolutely clear,

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<v Speaker 1>though George seemed to genuinely care for Nanon and for

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<v Speaker 1>his son Joseph, this in no way made Nanon's relationship

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<v Speaker 1>with George consensual. In addition to the fact that at

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<v Speaker 1>the time of Joseph's birth in seventeen forty five, Nana

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<v Speaker 1>was just sixteen years old, barely more than a child herself,

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<v Speaker 1>George was in a position of power over her that

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<v Speaker 1>made even the question of consent just well out of

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<v Speaker 1>the question. But power dynamics aside, it was evident that

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<v Speaker 1>George loved his son, and upon realizing that Joseph would

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<v Speaker 1>never receive an equal education in Guadalupe, where mixed race

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<v Speaker 1>children were unquestionably ostracized within the community, he chose to

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<v Speaker 1>accompany his son to France to provide him an education

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<v Speaker 1>fit for a gentleman. As I'm sure you can imagine,

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<v Speaker 1>this was not a common practice within the majority of

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<v Speaker 1>mixed race children in the French island. Colonies. In sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>eighty five, King Louis the fifteenth enacted what became known

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<v Speaker 1>as the Code Noir, a decree initially written to prevent

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<v Speaker 1>enslaved women from being forced into sexual slavery by their owners.

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<v Speaker 1>Over the years, the Code Noir was largely ignored in

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<v Speaker 1>the colonies as there was no way to consistently police

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<v Speaker 1>the practice, leading to a large growth in the mixed

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<v Speaker 1>race population among the island colonies. However, one piece of

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<v Speaker 1>the Code Noir that was largely followed was the requirement

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<v Speaker 1>of the mother to take care of the resulting child,

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<v Speaker 1>meaning the mixed race child was more often than not

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<v Speaker 1>relegated to a life of indentured servitude or slavery as well.

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<v Speaker 1>George obviously didn't want such a life for his son,

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<v Speaker 1>and with anti quote Mulatto sentiment on the rise in

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<v Speaker 1>the colonies, he made the decision to take Joseph to France,

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<v Speaker 1>where stigmas against mixed race children were, while still existent,

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<v Speaker 1>actually not nearly as restrictive as they were in the colonies.

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<v Speaker 1>There's little known about Joseph's early schooling, but considering his

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<v Speaker 1>musical prowess later in life, it's assumed that in addition

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<v Speaker 1>to reading and write, he was also tutored in violin

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<v Speaker 1>and fencing, the latter of which became the primary focus

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<v Speaker 1>of his studies when, at the age of thirteen, he

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<v Speaker 1>was enrolled in the Mapre de la Boissi Fencing Academy

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<v Speaker 1>in Paris. It was here Joseph's reputation would begin to

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<v Speaker 1>precede him, as his success in school labeled him not

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<v Speaker 1>just as the quote Mulado student, but as a fencing prodigy.

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<v Speaker 1>It's also worth realizing his success as a fencer and

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<v Speaker 1>later as a musician was likely born out of necessity,

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<v Speaker 1>thrust into a society that immediately projected its own prejudices

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<v Speaker 1>on him due to the color of his skin. Like

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<v Speaker 1>so many other immigrants and people of color living under

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<v Speaker 1>power structures made predominantly by and four white people, Joseph

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<v Speaker 1>had two choices, be excellent or be nothing at all.

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<v Speaker 1>He may have had his father's money and connections, but

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<v Speaker 1>as we will later find out, even that was never

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<v Speaker 1>a guarantee. His skin would always be the first thing

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<v Speaker 1>people saw, and without his father there, he was just

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<v Speaker 1>a mixed race black man in a predominantly white world

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<v Speaker 1>with little to know opportunities making a name for himself

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<v Speaker 1>was never a choice, it was necessity. And so, with

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<v Speaker 1>the faces of the enslaved people who shared his skin

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<v Speaker 1>on the island of Guadaloupe, ever likely present in the

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<v Speaker 1>back of his mind, Joseph became excellent.

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<v Speaker 2>Quote. Joseph made such rapid progress that at fifteen he

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<v Speaker 2>was beating the strongest fighters. At seventeen he acquired the

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<v Speaker 2>greatest bed imaginable. Yet he accomplished all that with a

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<v Speaker 2>sweetness of manner that charmed even those among his peers

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<v Speaker 2>who had good reason to envy his success. End quote.

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<v Speaker 2>These were the words of the son of La Bois Roye,

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<v Speaker 2>and by seventeen Joseph's reputation as a fencing virtuoso extended

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<v Speaker 2>far beyond Paris. But of course that meant that the

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<v Speaker 2>prejudice against him spread far as well. In seventeen sixty two,

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<v Speaker 2>fencing master Alexandra Picard de Bremont went on record disparaging Joseph,

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<v Speaker 2>calling him quote the mulado of La Boissarrie, as if

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<v Speaker 2>he were the academy's mere side show attraction rather than

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<v Speaker 2>a talented fencer. Picard was most likely calling out Joseph

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<v Speaker 2>to promote his own fencing school, which he had just

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<v Speaker 2>obtained his license for, but the words were enough to

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<v Speaker 2>spur Joseph into action, challenging the master to a duel

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<v Speaker 2>when he was just the age of seventeen. Picard readily

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<v Speaker 2>accepted the challenge no doubt, discounting young Joseph based on

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<v Speaker 2>his age and his skin color. What Picard was not

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<v Speaker 2>expecting was to lose. On the day of the event,

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<v Speaker 2>hundreds of spectators gathered to witness the now widely publicized display.

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<v Speaker 2>Bedding pools were the talk of the crowd, and each

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<v Speaker 2>side was also most likely loudly sharing their opinions on

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<v Speaker 2>the recent decree by French Attorney General Guillame Ponce de

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<v Speaker 2>la Grove to register all blacks and quote mulattoes in France.

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<v Speaker 2>Tension hung thick in the air as the two men

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<v Speaker 2>took their places before their audience, but the strict moment

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<v Speaker 2>of decorum was short lived. Joseph, known for his incredible

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<v Speaker 2>speed and swift attacks, lunged at his opponent, and before

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<v Speaker 2>the audience could even let go of the breath they

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<v Speaker 2>had collectively been holding before the duel began, the young

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<v Speaker 2>student Quote, whose attacks were a perpetual series of hits

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<v Speaker 2>beat him with ease, end quote, excellence or nothing. For

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<v Speaker 2>his victory, Joseph's father bought his son a horse and buggy,

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<v Speaker 2>essentially the equivalent of gifting his son a new car

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<v Speaker 2>for his win. From there, Joseph's reputation only continued to climb.

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<v Speaker 2>Some scholars believe that even the king may have had

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<v Speaker 2>his hand in the bedding pool that day, since soon

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<v Speaker 2>after the duel and Joseph's subsequent graduation, he was giving

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<v Speaker 2>a position in the King's life guard, and with this

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<v Speaker 2>position came the title we know Joseph Bolone as today

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<v Speaker 2>the Chevalier de Saint George. Following his graduation from fencing academy,

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<v Speaker 2>San George settled into his new life in Paris as

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<v Speaker 2>part of the King's guard. Unlike the guard decorps, whose

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<v Speaker 2>job it was to be stationed at gates, the Gendame

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<v Speaker 2>du bois were largely ceremonial guards who would escort their

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<v Speaker 2>Majesty's carriage only on special occasions. To supplement his time

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<v Speaker 2>on the King's guard, Saint George continued his training with

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<v Speaker 2>a reputation to uphold. He didn't want to fall into obscurity.

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<v Speaker 2>But in addition to fencing, Joseph began attending salons in Paris,

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<v Speaker 2>which is where he would make his first musical debut

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<v Speaker 2>into society. His prowess with a sword seemed to carry

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<v Speaker 2>over to the violin, and it wasn't long before the

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<v Speaker 2>whole of Paris took notice. He became the darling of

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<v Speaker 2>the most prestigious Parisian salons, and soon the guest of

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<v Speaker 2>many of Paris's most prestigious beds. He was no longer

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<v Speaker 2>the young boy who had first sailed over from Guadeloupe,

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<v Speaker 2>but he was a rather striking young man whose rigorous

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<v Speaker 2>training had him filling out the tailored suits he wore

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<v Speaker 2>around the city. The confidence with which he carried himself

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<v Speaker 2>only added to his charm, and the women around him

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<v Speaker 2>were quick to take notice. At this point in time

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<v Speaker 2>in Paris, marriage wasn synonymous with monogamy, only discretion. As such,

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<v Speaker 2>being an attractive and famously talented swordsman slash violin prodigy,

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<v Speaker 2>Saint George was never short on admirers. Saint George was

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<v Speaker 2>reported to have had numerous affairs throughout his life, including

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<v Speaker 2>one in the late seventeen eighties with none other than

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<v Speaker 2>noble blood alum and famous adulteress, Lady Seymour Worseley. But

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<v Speaker 2>the most notable affair among them was with a dancer

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<v Speaker 2>for the Academy Royale de Musique who went by the

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<v Speaker 2>name La Guiemins. Though as will come to see, it

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't so much their affair that would go on to

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<v Speaker 2>affect Joseph's career, but rather his denial of her advances,

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<v Speaker 2>but we'll get into that later. While he was charming

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<v Speaker 2>his way across the city's most prestigious salons, soon Parisian

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<v Speaker 2>aristocrats gave way to world renowned musicians eager to gain

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<v Speaker 2>his favor. Eventually he would be introduced to Francoise Joseph Gossek,

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<v Speaker 2>who would go on to become Joseph's compositional teacher and

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<v Speaker 2>ultimately his key into the Concertieaure. When Goseck founded the

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<v Speaker 2>Amateur in seventeen sixty nine, he asked Saint George to

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<v Speaker 2>come on as one of the violin chairs in the

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<v Speaker 2>semi professional ensemble. By seventeen seventy three, when Goseque decided

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<v Speaker 2>to retire as director, Saint George had already risen to

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<v Speaker 2>first chair and it was without question that he would

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<v Speaker 2>become his successor. During his tenure as director of the

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<v Speaker 2>Concert d' amateur, Saint George would compose more than nine

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<v Speaker 2>violin concertos and would lead the orchestra to stretch the

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<v Speaker 2>idea of what classical music could be. His symphony concertante

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<v Speaker 2>with dueling violin soloists, broadened the horizons of the genre,

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<v Speaker 2>so much so that he would eventually capture the attention

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<v Speaker 2>of perhaps my favorite noble blood, Royal Marie Antoinette. As

0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.639
<v Speaker 2>we all know, following the death of King Louis the

0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:10.720
<v Speaker 2>fifteenth in seventeen seventy four, King Louis the sixteenth ascended

0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:14.919
<v Speaker 2>the throne with Marie Antoinette at his side. Though she

0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:19.359
<v Speaker 2>was mostly relegated to their palace in Versailles, the queen

0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:24.480
<v Speaker 2>was more than familiar with goings on among culture in Paris,

0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:27.800
<v Speaker 2>so when Joseph Boulone, the Chevalier de Saint George, who

0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:32.880
<v Speaker 2>led Paris's most popular orchestra, was proposed as the new

0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:38.359
<v Speaker 2>musical director of the Paris Opera, he seemed the obvious choice.

0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:43.760
<v Speaker 2>Of course, nothing was ever that simple. Remember La Guiemin,

0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:49.080
<v Speaker 2>the rumored jilted lover of Saint George, while she, along

0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:53.640
<v Speaker 2>with two other dancers from the Academy Royal de Musique,

0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:58.840
<v Speaker 2>petitioned Marie Antoinette, telling the Queen quote their honor and

0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:02.800
<v Speaker 2>their delicate conn could never allow them to submit to

0:19:02.960 --> 0:19:09.160
<v Speaker 2>the orders of a mulatto. End in the Parisian salons,

0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:13.560
<v Speaker 2>Saint George's skin tone was often considered an afterthought to

0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:18.080
<v Speaker 2>those around him. His talent and charm spoke more than

0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:21.639
<v Speaker 2>enough for itself, but at the same time, he was

0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:27.000
<v Speaker 2>never a suitable candidate for marriage, only for trysts behind

0:19:27.200 --> 0:19:32.040
<v Speaker 2>closed doors. He was never granted entrance into the most

0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:36.840
<v Speaker 2>exclusive rooms in all of Paris. People clamored to hear

0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:42.719
<v Speaker 2>his concertos, Yet his admission into society was only contingent

0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:47.840
<v Speaker 2>on his excellence and performance, and even then it wasn't

0:19:47.960 --> 0:19:52.719
<v Speaker 2>enough to be given a position he rightfully deserved. In

0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:56.200
<v Speaker 2>order to diffuse the scandal of whether Saint George would

0:19:56.240 --> 0:20:00.359
<v Speaker 2>become the music director of the Paris Opera, King Louis

0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:04.119
<v Speaker 2>the sixteenth opted to turn the Paris Opera over to

0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:08.600
<v Speaker 2>the City of Paris. In short, deep unplug the Nintendo

0:20:08.680 --> 0:20:12.359
<v Speaker 2>if You're losing the game solution, handing the reins over

0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:16.880
<v Speaker 2>to his intendant of light entertainment. But for Saint George,

0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:21.400
<v Speaker 2>the damage was already done. Though he continued to direct

0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:25.439
<v Speaker 2>the concert to amateurs, the loss of the Paris Opera

0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:28.840
<v Speaker 2>would stay with him, even as the straits of Paris

0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:37.560
<v Speaker 2>began to disintegrate around him. In the wake of the

0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:41.560
<v Speaker 2>scandal with the Paris Opera. Marie Antoinette was not so

0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:45.960
<v Speaker 2>quick to let Saint George fade away. Instead, she opted

0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:49.639
<v Speaker 2>to hold private celons in Versailles, where she would invite

0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:53.280
<v Speaker 2>him and the most notable musicians in Paris to play

0:20:53.320 --> 0:20:57.399
<v Speaker 2>for her, oftentimes with her accompanying them on the piano forte,

0:20:58.359 --> 0:21:03.800
<v Speaker 2>and in return, Marie would often attend performances of the amateurs,

0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:08.600
<v Speaker 2>using her power to bring attention and prestige to the enterprise.

0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:12.800
<v Speaker 2>She came so often that the orchestra began wearing their

0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:16.719
<v Speaker 2>finest clothes for every concert because they never knew when

0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:20.000
<v Speaker 2>she might show up. But Saint George was not so

0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:25.760
<v Speaker 2>quick as to put the opera music director scandal behind him. Instead,

0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:29.560
<v Speaker 2>he seemingly used his anger to fuel the next portion

0:21:29.760 --> 0:21:35.200
<v Speaker 2>of his career writing opera. Unfortunately for him, his next

0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:39.119
<v Speaker 2>composition wouldn't be destined for the great success he was

0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:45.240
<v Speaker 2>accustomed to. His first opera, Ernestine, premiered on July nineteenth,

0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:52.280
<v Speaker 2>seventeen seventy seven. It subsequently closed on July nineteenth, seventeen

0:21:52.400 --> 0:21:57.719
<v Speaker 2>seventy seven, lasting only one night. Saint George's first opera

0:21:57.960 --> 0:22:02.879
<v Speaker 2>was criticized by the press for its sub par libretto, which,

0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:06.320
<v Speaker 2>to be fair, Saint George did not write, but still

0:22:06.760 --> 0:22:10.160
<v Speaker 2>a flop was a flop, but that didn't stop him

0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:14.959
<v Speaker 2>from writing. The failure did provide him with one new opportunity.

0:22:15.640 --> 0:22:19.640
<v Speaker 2>The Marquise de Montesson, the wife of the Duke of Orleans,

0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:23.800
<v Speaker 2>was interested in funding her own private theater, and after

0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:27.399
<v Speaker 2>seeing Ernestine, she realized that she wanted the Chevalier de

0:22:27.520 --> 0:22:31.239
<v Speaker 2>Saint George for the job. It may seem peculiar to

0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:34.919
<v Speaker 2>pursue a composure of a failed opera to write for

0:22:34.960 --> 0:22:40.359
<v Speaker 2>her theater, but by seventeen seventy seven, Joseph's father had died,

0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:44.560
<v Speaker 2>and despite him leaving a substantial amount of money to

0:22:44.800 --> 0:22:49.760
<v Speaker 2>both his son and the Chevalier's mother, Nana, the inheritance

0:22:49.840 --> 0:22:54.000
<v Speaker 2>ultimately found its way almost entirely into the pockets of

0:22:54.160 --> 0:22:59.600
<v Speaker 2>Joseph's legitimate half sister, so on the heels of Joseph's

0:22:59.680 --> 0:23:05.000
<v Speaker 2>fail Montesant likely knew that he was in no position

0:23:05.080 --> 0:23:08.720
<v Speaker 2>to turn down her offer, which meant that she had

0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:14.160
<v Speaker 2>a new music director for the Theatre Montrescent. As it happened,

0:23:14.240 --> 0:23:18.520
<v Speaker 2>Saint George's second opera, La Chase, which had its first

0:23:18.600 --> 0:23:23.359
<v Speaker 2>performance to an invited audience at the Theatron Montressin, was

0:23:23.400 --> 0:23:28.840
<v Speaker 2>a declared hit, despite only running for four performances, for

0:23:29.359 --> 0:23:32.320
<v Speaker 2>as it seemed, was better than one though, and Saint

0:23:32.400 --> 0:23:34.840
<v Speaker 2>George would go on to write at least one more

0:23:34.920 --> 0:23:44.639
<v Speaker 2>opera before disaster would once again strike. In seventeen eighty five,

0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:48.399
<v Speaker 2>the Duke of Orleans died, which meant Saint George was

0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:52.800
<v Speaker 2>once again without an employer. But during his years in

0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:57.800
<v Speaker 2>the Orleans Fold, Saint George had befriended the Duke's son, Philippe,

0:23:57.840 --> 0:24:01.359
<v Speaker 2>who was now the new Duke. Upon seeing his friend

0:24:01.520 --> 0:24:05.920
<v Speaker 2>without sufficient employment, the new Duke decided to invite Saint

0:24:05.960 --> 0:24:09.600
<v Speaker 2>George to London to meet the Prince of Wales, the

0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:12.960
<v Speaker 2>oldest son of King George the Third future King George

0:24:13.000 --> 0:24:17.000
<v Speaker 2>the Fourth, who had heard word of this superb fencer

0:24:17.200 --> 0:24:22.879
<v Speaker 2>slash violinist Saint George Son George readily agreed, and the

0:24:23.000 --> 0:24:26.600
<v Speaker 2>Duke and Saint George swiftly made their way across the

0:24:26.680 --> 0:24:32.359
<v Speaker 2>Channel to England. But unbeknownst to the Chevalier, Philippe had

0:24:32.600 --> 0:24:36.400
<v Speaker 2>more than one reason that he was bringing the famed

0:24:36.520 --> 0:24:46.359
<v Speaker 2>Chevalier de Saint George to London. This concludes part one

0:24:46.560 --> 0:24:51.080
<v Speaker 2>of our two part series on the incredibly exciting life

0:24:51.480 --> 0:24:54.760
<v Speaker 2>of the Chevalier de Saint George. But stick around after

0:24:54.840 --> 0:24:59.280
<v Speaker 2>a brief sponsor break to hear about another famous classical

0:24:59.400 --> 0:25:03.600
<v Speaker 2>musician who may have known Joseph Blonne, the Chevalier de

0:25:03.760 --> 0:25:16.800
<v Speaker 2>Saint George. For those of you classical music officionados out

0:25:16.840 --> 0:25:20.639
<v Speaker 2>there who may have been putting mental timelines together throughout

0:25:20.720 --> 0:25:24.560
<v Speaker 2>this episode, first I applaud you on your very specific

0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:30.840
<v Speaker 2>historical knowledge, and second will confirm yes, one Wolfgang Amadeus

0:25:30.880 --> 0:25:34.960
<v Speaker 2>Mozart was indeed in Paris at the exact same time

0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:39.719
<v Speaker 2>as Joseph Balone, the Chevalier de Saint George in seventeen

0:25:39.920 --> 0:25:45.919
<v Speaker 2>seventy eight. In fact, between July fifth and September eleventh

0:25:45.960 --> 0:25:49.480
<v Speaker 2>of that year, the two were living under the very

0:25:49.680 --> 0:25:54.520
<v Speaker 2>same roof at the Montessons mansion on the Chasset d'antan.

0:25:55.320 --> 0:26:00.719
<v Speaker 2>Yet unfortunately, despite their proximity, there's actually no i'h written

0:26:00.720 --> 0:26:04.840
<v Speaker 2>a record of the two ever meeting during this time. Still,

0:26:04.880 --> 0:26:07.520
<v Speaker 2>if you want, this is me giving you permission to

0:26:07.600 --> 0:26:12.200
<v Speaker 2>write your own imagined classical music version of that musical

0:26:12.400 --> 0:26:16.480
<v Speaker 2>million dollar quartet. San George actually did happen to meet

0:26:16.480 --> 0:26:19.760
<v Speaker 2>Mozart when he was just ten years old in seventeen

0:26:19.880 --> 0:26:25.040
<v Speaker 2>sixty six, but some scholars theorize Mozart patently did not

0:26:25.440 --> 0:26:28.960
<v Speaker 2>want to meet San George during their stays in Paris

0:26:29.080 --> 0:26:33.320
<v Speaker 2>in seventeen seventy eight because he was envious of his success.

0:26:34.240 --> 0:26:37.040
<v Speaker 2>I will say that Mozart's mother had just died in

0:26:37.080 --> 0:26:40.399
<v Speaker 2>the beginning of July in seventeen seventy eight, so he

0:26:40.480 --> 0:26:44.520
<v Speaker 2>may have just been completely in mourning. In letters from

0:26:44.520 --> 0:26:48.399
<v Speaker 2>Mozart's father, he begs his son to attend a performance

0:26:48.440 --> 0:26:53.080
<v Speaker 2>of the concerd'emtur, but there's no record of Mozart fulfilling

0:26:53.119 --> 0:26:57.440
<v Speaker 2>his father's wishes. We will most likely never know if

0:26:57.480 --> 0:27:01.359
<v Speaker 2>there was a feud between the two legendary musicians or

0:27:01.560 --> 0:27:05.040
<v Speaker 2>some hidden, off the record friendship. You never know, but

0:27:05.320 --> 0:27:10.840
<v Speaker 2>musical historians have long questioned why the villain in Mozart's

0:27:10.880 --> 0:27:15.200
<v Speaker 2>opera The Magic Flute is meant to be portrayed by

0:27:15.320 --> 0:27:19.520
<v Speaker 2>a black man. Could it have been a lingering jealousy

0:27:19.560 --> 0:27:23.200
<v Speaker 2>that fueled his work? Maybe? But I'll end with one

0:27:23.400 --> 0:27:29.040
<v Speaker 2>closing thought. Today, when referencing San George, many call him

0:27:29.160 --> 0:27:33.159
<v Speaker 2>the black Mozart. But when you consider the success that

0:27:33.359 --> 0:27:37.160
<v Speaker 2>Saint George was having in Paris at the time Mozart arrived,

0:27:37.680 --> 0:27:41.560
<v Speaker 2>who is to say that Mozart isn't the white Chevalier

0:27:41.680 --> 0:27:52.640
<v Speaker 2>de Saint George. Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio

0:27:53.080 --> 0:27:56.800
<v Speaker 2>and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble Blood is

0:27:56.920 --> 0:28:01.440
<v Speaker 2>created and hosted by me Dana Schwortz, with additional writing

0:28:01.560 --> 0:28:07.280
<v Speaker 2>and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender,

0:28:07.400 --> 0:28:11.479
<v Speaker 2>and Lori Goodman. The show is edited and produced by

0:28:11.600 --> 0:28:16.960
<v Speaker 2>Noemi Griffin and rima Il Kahali, with supervising producer Josh

0:28:17.119 --> 0:28:22.480
<v Speaker 2>Thain and executive producers Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick.

0:28:23.000 --> 0:28:28.879
<v Speaker 2>For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

0:28:29.200 --> 0:28:31.840
<v Speaker 2>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,