Monday Open Thread- Black Composers of Classical Music

Happy Monday, Everyone.   I spent most of my weekend traveling and took in a few live classical music concerts.

Soul needs soothing and healing, and classical music was my healing balm.

This week we’re featuring  classical music from Black composers.  I hope you enjoy the music!

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges, Le Chevalier de/Joseph de Bologne (1745-1799)

Joseph de Bologne was born December 25, 1745 on a plantation near Basse-Terre, on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. His mother was Anne Nanon, slave-mistress of his father, the nobleman George de Bologne de Saint-Georges. He was educated in France, where his father became Gentleman of the King’s Chamber. At 13, he began 6 years at the fencing academy of Nicolas Texier de La Böessière. He excelled at fencing and sports. Joseph was 17 when he became Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges. He was also an Officer of the King’s Guard.

By age 19, Saint-Georges was called “the god of arms.” He suffered only one known defeat in a serious fencing match. His skill on the harpsichord and violin earned him dedications from major composers, beginning with Antonio Lolli in 1764. He studied with the French composers François-Joseph Gossec and Jean-Marie Leclair, and became first violin, or concertmaster, of Le Concert des amateurs. His string quartets were among the first in France and were performed from 1772 and published from 1773, when he was became conductor of Le Concert des amateurs.

His bid to manage the Paris Opera failed when 3 women objected to working for “a mulatto,” but he then directed the prestigious musical theater of the Marquise de Montesson. He published two symphony concertantes in 1776 and two more in 1778. In 1777 he wrote three violin concertos and six string quartets. Early in 1779, Saint-Georges began performing music with Queen Marie-Antoinette. He was an early Black Mason in France. When his orchestra closed, Masons organized the Concert de la Loge Olympique. During the French Revolution, Saint-Georges was Colonel of 1,000 volunteers of color and heroically halted “The Treason of Dumouriez.” He was imprisoned for 11 months on false charges, then acquitted. He took control of Le Cercle de L’Harmonie in 1797, and died on June 10, 1799. Dozens of CDs of his music are available, as is a DVD, Le Mozart Noir.

FYI, Mozrat was born in January 27, 1756 and died December 5, 1791, so why did folks call Mr. Chevalier de Saint Georges the “Black Mozart?

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85 Responses to Monday Open Thread- Black Composers of Classical Music

  1. jeremyjames says:

    Enjoyed the first piece. Thanks

  2. Check your email ladies

  3. rikyrah says:

    After Atlanta icon Herman Russell died, DNA proved Joycelyn Alston is a daughter he never knew. That’s when things got complicated.

    https://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/after-atlanta-icon-herman-russell-died-dna-proved-joycelyn-alston-is-a-daughter-he-never-knew-thats-when-things-got-complicated/

  4. Ametia says:

    Fuck Jake Tapper, water-carrying mofo.

    Kamala Harris bringing it on CNN town hall.

  5. Ametia says:

    To the nut 🥜 who wrote that shit in the NATION magazine about Kamala & Barack I guess the crowd of 20, 000 really showed Kamala!

  6. rikyrah says:

    THREAD

    10 Minutes a Day #KAMALA2020 🍩 🏳️‍🌈 🐝 (@10MinutesaDay4U) Tweeted:
    I want to talk ab @KamalaHarris & some of the attacks I’ve been hearing. (1). I hear she’s “not progressive enough.” This is patently false. She’s 1 of the most progressive ppl in all of Congress—after a 4-way tie for 1st, it’s her of 535 ppl. #Kamala2020

    https://t.co/uJUkcmBs6d https://twitter.com/10MinutesaDay4U/status/1088529001902231552?s=17

    • Ametia says:

      The “HIT” pieces keep on coming. Who died & left this fool king 👑 of Black culture?

      Bullshit article

  7. My nephew is home from the hospital after having surgery. He could hardly walk and then he started falling down. A nerve in his neck was pressing against his spine. We’re so grateful to God for his mercy. My bro is barbecuing a brisket, chicken, sausage and we’re having potato salad, pasta salad and sis in law made a sweet potato casserole and strawberry cake.

  8. rikyrah says:

    Oh my God this baby pic.twitter.com/kM6brnqA4m

    — Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) January 28, 2019

  9. rikyrah says:

    The Democratic Party is Majority Women and Minorities.

    Telling us Kamala slept her way to the top, isn’t black enough, is a cop, had slaves, or hates gay people?

    We don’t believe you.
    We think you’re scared.

    It just makes us support her more knowing how much you fear her.

    — 👸🏾 Bianca Najid (yes, I have a name) (@Bravewriting) January 28, 2019

  10. rikyrah says:

    The 2020 Election Will Be a Competition of Two Stories About America
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    January 28, 2019

    ……………………………….

    I would suggest that the reason Sanders was unable to come up with an answer to his own question is because he got caught up in the need to address the lies and failed to see that the underlying issue that must be addressed is the fear mongering. Until Democrats are able to do that, they’ll be playing on Trump’s home turf and giving him the advantage. In other words, they’ll fail to provide an alternative story of America.

    After watching Kamala Harris’s speech to launch her candidacy on Sunday, at least one GOP political consultant saw something important.

    If you listen to voices in Democratic Party like Senator Harris or Beto, striking how Democrats have seized a big, optimistic message while Trump era Republicans have abandoned optimism for fear. Trump says he will protect America from future. Dems say they are the future.

    — stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) January 27, 2019

    As I’ve noted before, the only thing stronger than fear is hope. Of course a candidate’s history, their policy positions, their ability to learn, and their worldview are important things for voters to assess. But the candidate that is most likely to prevail against the fear mongering of Trump and the Republican Party will be the one who tells a story of America that instills optimism and hope.

    I’m not talking about the kind of false hope that is more a function of sentimentality than reality. After articulating many of the difficult truths this country needs to hear during her speech on Sunday, Harris put it this way, “America’s story has always been written by people who can see what can be unburdened by what has been.”

    There are now a handful of Democrats who have announced their intentions to run in 2020, and several more to come. The one who tells a compelling story of optimism in America to compete with Republican fear-mongering is the one most likely to produce the kind of victory this country needs both up and down the ticket to address the challenges we face.

  11. rikyrah says:

    The 2020 Election Will Be a Competition of Two Stories About America https://t.co/3zlNXdDk9k

    — Nancy LeTourneau (@Smartypants60) January 28, 2019

  12. Ametia says:

    Wind Chill Warning in Minnesota

    Active for next 3 days · National Weather Service
    …HISTORIC COLD EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING…

    .Wind chills are expected to fall to 25 below to 35 below zero
    tonight and Tuesday morning. Dangerous wind chills as low as 65
    below zero are expected Tuesday morning through Thursday morning
    in western and central Minnesota. Wind chills as low as 55 below
    zero are expected Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning in
    east central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin.
    Record low temperatures are possible in the Twin Cities Wednesday
    morning and Thursday morning. The record for Wednesday is 30
    below and the record for Thursday is 27 below.

    https://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=691de6c0c6ba16bd&hl=en&gl=US&source=wweathers

    So excuse me, if I stayed curled up by the fireplace this week. LOL

    • rikyrah says:

      I already put in for a Vacation Day for Wednesday. I was willing to brave it when they said the high was gonna be -4.

      But, when they switched it to -15……

      I surrender.

    • Liza says:

      I can’t even imagine.

      • majiir says:

        It’s been so cold here in Middle GA the last couple nights that my new heating system has had trouble keeping the whole house warm. It’s supposed to be cold tonight, too. I’ve been using a Green Heater {it’s supposed more energy efficient than other heaters} in my bedroom. I’ve been remodeling my home, doing most of the work myself, and the cold makes it harder for me to get the things done I need to do. Brrr!

  13. Ametia says:

    RACIST GRAMPA BROKAW
    “And a lot of this we don’t want to talk about but the fact is, on the Republican side, a lot of people see the rise of an extraordinary new important constituency in American politics, Hispanics. Who will come here and all be Democrats. Also, I hear, when I push people a little harder, I don’t know if I want brown grandbabies. I mean, that’s also a part of it. It’s the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other. I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That’s one of the things I’ve been saying for a long time. You know, they ought to not just be codified in their communities but make sure that all of their kids are learning to speak English and that they feel comfortable in the communities, and that’s going to take outreach on both sides, frankly.”

    And what did Chuck Todd say in response to such blatant racism?

    Nothing.

    Absolutely. Nothing.

  14. Liza says:

    The Alternate Universe weighs in on Mr. Schultz. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1089881244312178688

    • Liza says:

      Donald J. Trump
      ‏Verified account

      @realDonaldTrump

      Howard Schultz doesn’t have the “guts” to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the “smartest person.” Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!

      6:41 AM – 28 Jan 2019

  15. Liza says:

    Even if she’s saying these things, I do not believe she would really do it. No one is that much of a masochist.

    https://twitter.com/NYDailyNews/status/1089609092186935300

  16. Ametia says:

    Word of the Day : January 28, 2019

    Sleuth: verb SLOOTH

    Definition
    1 : to act as a detective : search for information
    2 : to search for and discover

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/sleuth-2019-01-28?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=s&file=sleuth01&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=wotd&utm_content=pron

  17. rikyrah says:

    UH HUH
    UH HUH

    Kay says:
    January 28, 2019 at 8:28 am

    Schultz is running on the “opportunity culture” idea that Democrats lost on for 2 cycles. It’s a loser, but a certain segment of wealthy people love it. It’s supposedly the centrist counter to someone running on a more robust social safety net. Schultz isn’t worried about Donald Trump. Schultz is worried about a liberal backlash to Trump. That’s what he finds threatening.

    • Ametia says:

      Barrack Hussein Obama ain’t got SHIT to do with 45 & Co.

      The reason 45’s in the WH is a backlash against the BLACK PRESIDENT.

      You wanted him, you got 45, a trifling, lazy CaC ass grifting MOFO.

    • Ametia says:

      BOY BYE

    • majiir says:

      The coal miners that believed DJT would get them their jobs back are dumber than dirt. When he was in office, PBO set up a fund for them so that they could reeducate themselves. I read that after DJT was elected, some of them quit attending class because they were sure they’d be rehired at the coal mines. The energy future of the whole world is in alternative forms of energy, but these tools still think coal is going to make a major comeback. For some persons, denying reality can get them in serious financial situations.

    • Ametia says:

      HA HA HA

      The irony of this photo. Clearly illustrates the GOP, the Republican Party’s piss POOR attempt at hiding their GREED, RACISM, etc.

  18. rikyrah says:

    Good Morning, Everyone 😀😀😀

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