Samuel Miller

Joseph Bologne, more commonly known as Saint-George was born about 1739, in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe. His father was a French Parliamentary councilor. Little is known about Bolognes mother, who came from Africa, and no known records survive as to her early history. His earliest upbringing was in the isles of the Caribbean. While he was young, his family moved to Saint Domingue (now Haiti); it was there that he likely had his first violin lessons, under the direction of his fathers plantation manager. When he was 10, the family once again shifted its home, this time to Paris, France.

In Paris, Bolognes life underwent an almost phenomenal change. He not only partook in a wide range of activities -- including riding, dancing, swimming, skating, and fencing -- he became a master swordsman, often being deemed the greatest in Europe during his prime. He also studied arms under the Master of Arms La Boessiére for about six years. Before he turned 20, Bologne took up studies of the violin u