The Black Mozart: Le Chevalier De Saint-Georges

Walter E. Smith

Aug 2004 · AuthorHouse

About this ebook

Long before the word “Super Star” was coined, Saint-Georges was the original. Many people throughout history have been famous for one reason or another. Many have made great contributions to civilization and left great legacies. Their paintings and sculptures we still admire. Their discoveries have made our lives better; their music we still play and sing, but no one in history was as talented in so many areas as Saint-Georges. For a time, he was the greatest fencer in the world. He was an exceptional violinist and along with his teacher, Gossec, he pioneered the composition of the String Quartet. Even Mozart came to Paris to study this new form of music. Saint-Georges was an unequaled equestrian, an exceptional marksman and an elegant dancer. The wealthy copied the way he dressed, and the common people admired him as he walked through the streets, and whispered his name. He was a true Renaissance man and a “super star” in the Paris of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. What is even more remarkable was the fact that he was a mulatto.

About the author

Walter Smith was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, where he attended North Carolina Central University, majoring in French. There, he was a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. After graduation, he moved to New York City. He taught French and Spanish in the NYC Public Schools for several years. Later he attended graduate school at Laval University, in Quebec, Canada. Having written a few short stories, he moved Los Angeles to try writing for television. After only nine months, he was fortunate enough to land an assignment to write an episode of the popular TV show, Good Times. Over the next few years, he wrote a story for the sit-com, Different Strokes, which was nominated for the Humanitas Award, and later, a story for Magnum P.I. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and currently teaches high school French in Lynwood, California.