Obscure Music Monday: Saint-Georges' Sonata No. 3 for Two Violins

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Dec. 25, 1745 – June 10, 1799) was a composer, violinist, and conductor, born to George Bologne de Saint-Georges, a wealthy married planter, and Anne dites Nanon, his wife's African slave. Though born in Guadeloupe, his father took him to France when he was a child, where he was educated, and he became a skilled fencer. Later on he joined the Légion St.-Georges during the French Revolution, the first all-black regiment in Europe.

There is little to nothing known of his musical upbringing, other than the fact that he was a virtuoso violinist who started playing at a very young age. He wrote symphonies, concertos, string quartets, and also a set of six sonatas for two violins. We are looking at the third one, in A major today.

This two-movement piece is incredibly bright and energetic, and the melodic material is of supreme importance. His writing is wonderfully crisp and clean, and sounds quintessentially Classical Era. The first violin gets all the fancy, fun virtuosic lines and challenges, whereas the second part is more like an accompaniment (but still important!) The first part plays all the way to the end of the fingerboard, has incredibly fast runs, and some double stops as well. The second movement is slower, but things are much the same, as far as violin parts go; the first violin still gets all the musical/technical action. While slower in tempo, it's still bright and energetic, and is absolutely charming.

We haven't found any recordings of this great work yet – we hope that changes soon!