Michael jacques composer biography worksheet

Rachel Barton Pine

May 8, , PM &#; Had you heard of Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, before the release of the new movie, Chevalier?

Whether this is your first encounter with the 18th Century superstar violinist/composer/athlete or you're a longtime fan, there's always more to learn and celebrate. I hope that the links below will spark many hours of exploration and enjoyment!

My first encounter with Bologne was way back in I had recently given the modern-day premiere of a rediscovered concerto by another 18th Century French composer, the Chevalier de Meude-Monpas, who was thought to have been of African descent (more about him later). The beauty of this piece inspired me to search for other historic works by Black composers to record for my first concerto album. I remember walking down the hall of one particular library on my way to the archive and seeing a huge replica of a portrait of a Black man in a white wig with a sword and a violin. Whoa! Awesome album cover alert!

Crossing my fingers that Bologne's music was as great as his portrait, I studied almost ten of his violin concertos to choose my favorite. All were charming, inventive, and brilliant, but I was particularly drawn to Op. 5 No. 2 in A Major which I included on my record, Violin Concertos by Black Composers Through the Centuries.

LISTENING TO BOLOGNE'S MUSIC

It's exciting to see that there are ever more albums featuring the music of Bologne. For a wonderful immersion into all sides of the Chevalier's artistry, Cedille Records founder and producer Jim Ginsburg has curated this special track playlist:

There are tracks from Cedille's brand-new world-premiere recording of the opera "L'Amant Anonyme" which is mentioned prominently in the film, violin concerto tracks including a new one by Randall Goosby recorded for the film, movements from sinf

German-born French composer (–)

Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June &#;&#; 5 October ) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly operettas of the s to the s, and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Franz von Suppé, Johann Strauss II and Arthur Sullivan. His best-known works were continually revived during the 20th century, and many of his operettas continue to be staged in the 21st. The Tales of Hoffmann remains part of the standard opera repertory.

Born in Cologne, Kingdom of Prussia, the son of a synagogue cantor, Offenbach showed early musical talent. At the age of 14, he was accepted as a student at the Paris Conservatoire; he found academic study unfulfilling and left after a year, but remained in Paris. From to he earned his living as a cellist, achieving international fame, and as a conductor. His ambition, however, was to compose comic pieces for the musical theatre. Finding the management of Paris's Opéra-Comique company uninterested in staging his works, in he leased a small theatre in the Champs-Élysées. There, during the next three years, he presented a series of more than two dozen of his own small-scale pieces, many of which became popular.

In Offenbach produced his first full-length operetta, Orphée aux enfers ("Orpheus in the Underworld"), with its celebrated can-can; the work was exceptionally well received and has remained his most played. During the s, he produced at least eighteen full-length operettas, as well as more one-act pieces. His works from this period include La belle Hélène (), La Vie parisienne (), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein () and La Périchole (). The risqué humour (often about sexual intrigue) and mostly gentle satiric barbs in these pieces, together with Offenbach's facility for melody, made them internationally known, and transl