Sargis Nersisyan

MUS 1211-D438

Professor Freeman

12/19/2018

Le Mozart Noir
 Upon listening to the introduction of the documentary, I began to recall Mozart’s style of

composition almost immediately. With the long, sweeping overtones that were played that were

common of the time period, the composition sounded very grand. In comparison to the classical

composers of the time, i.e. Mozart, Salieri, the challenges that he faced growing up as a

“mulatto” pushed him to greater heights than others of his time. The way his “Symphonie

Concertante” is composed, his skill level is comparable to Niccolo Paganini, who was a virtuoso

violinist who came a few years after Chevalier de Saint-Georges. However, his father was a

slave owner and his slave mistress gave birth to St. Georges, it came as a surprise that he

would want to take care of St. Georges as most people in that time who were slave owners

didn’t even feed the slaves properly. Unsurprisingly, his presence in Paris was not well received,

but he trained as a virtuous fencer and his prominence was solidified. Through many years of

training, he was able to hone his skills and was respected because of his talents. This carried

on with his choice to play violin, which opened up new gateways for his success. With

numerous compositions and ridiculously articulate music, he was able to gain significance in the

society that was not necessarily supportive of people of his racial background. When he

composed the piece about the loss of his child, the significance of a few notes weighs more

than any slurry of passages. This composition truly captured his pain and the dread of losing

something dear to him. His emotions and sorrow were reflected in his music. In a way, this

composition is similar to Mozart’s “Lacrimosa”. The harmonic patterns and feelings shared

between the two compositions are similar in a way that the sadness and darkness is amplified

by some somber tones. However, this did not stop him from composing beautiful music, and

because of this he was reaching to become the Director of the Paris Opera. This position is the

most prestigious musical rank available in France at the time. The racial prejudice against him

was sadly not forgotten, as when the members of the opera company heard he would be

director, a petition
was created against him, stating that “We would never submit to the orders from a Mulatto”

which was racially charged and that caused him to refuse the position. As accomplished and

talented a musician as he was, this was highly disrespectful and even by today’s standards, that

would be grounds for an argument. During his lifetime, St. Georges was born as the child of a

slave, but made a name for himself in high society. Through his many talents and

accomplishments, he was able to break free of his social bindings of being a slave. While he

was exceptionally skilled and created music for people to listen to and recreate today, the racial

bindings at that time prevented him from receiving the respect that his achievements and

accomplishments demanded. The constraints of society and the negative connotation

associated with being a “mulatto” caused him to have to work harder to get less recognition than

everyone else during the same time period. Composers like Ludwig van Beethoven were

also prominent during this time period, so his music is often overlooked. With the French

Revolution and Robespierre cutting everyone’s heads off, it’s no wonder that not much of St.

Georges’ music was able to be preserved. During his lifetime, St.George was raised in his

father’s image, much like Mozart and Beethoven. His father wanted him to become successful

and life a life that wasn’t based on slavery. His talents and determination led to his success, but

even his accomplishments didn’t purge him from the racial discrimination of the nobles in Paris.

“Mulatto” is a pejorative word, and was used to single someone out despite their abilities. This is

shown throughout the documentary, but through the hardships and his relentless pursuit of

greatness that St.George has endured, he has created beautiful music that is not only pleasing

for the audience, but for the performer.