Overture to L’amant anonyme
Joseph Bologne (1745-1799)

THE STORY

Joseph Bologne, who took the honorific title “Chevalier Saint-Georges,” was born on the Caribbean island called Guadeloupe. When he was seven years old, he and his mother moved with his father to France, where he began his musical education. A virtuoso violinist who had two concertos written for him before he reached the age of 20, he went on to become the first composer with African ancestry to gain acclaim in European classical music.

Bologne performed with and led a prominent Parisian ensemble as a young man, and made his start as a composer with a set of six string quartets—the first written in France. He was also an innovator of the sinfonia concertante and might have influenced the early work in that genre of a young Mozart.

Bologne composed music in many genres, including six operas. Only L’amant anonyme (The Anonymous Lover) survives today in its entirety. Premiered in 1780, the comic opera tells the story of a young widow, who has sworn off love, receiving anonymous letters and gifts from an unknown admirer. The overture to the opera reflects the brilliant charm of its composer, dazzling listeners with virtuosic violins and dancing lower strings. 

LISTEN FOR

• Three contrasting sections of the overture, each with its own distinct characters and moods, evoking the structure of Italian symphonies that were widely popular throughout Europe
• Virtuoso passages in the first violins reflecting Bologne’s skill as a violinist
• The use of dynamic contrast to surprise and delight listeners, particularly in the third section

INSTRUMENTATION

Two oboes, two horns, strings