Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George

by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Other authorsJames E. Ransome (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 2011

Status

Check shelf

Call number

J 92 Sa

Genres

Publication

Schwartz & Wade (2011), Hardcover, 40 pages

Description

Short biography of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George, a mixed race violinist who would play for the King and Queen of France.

Local notes

1401-098

User reviews

LibraryThing member lauren.anderson
Summary-A young boy joseph loves music but he is a black boy owned by a white man and never really had the chance to prove his talents. But he overcomes the prejudisim and becomes one of the finest musicians of Europe.

Personal Reaction-It was a very interesting story, very good illustrations.Very
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realistic book one of the realit books that i found that were also historical fiction.

Classroom Extension-1)Talk about slavery 2)teach about music one day
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LibraryThing member kzrobin
I really enjoyed reading this biography. I have never heard of Joseph Boulogne until now, and I believe he is someone you would want to teach about in wither a history or music class.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
A handsomely illustrated introduction to the son of a white plantation owner and black slave who goes from the West Indies to France to become one of the most admired classical musicians and composers of his time. Although he was a contemporary of Mozart and lived a life of amazing achievements
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(especially given his mixed-race), it seems a little misleading to suggest that his accomplishments in classical music are as significant as Mozart's. Compare this book with another biography for children, The Other Mozart: The Life of the Chevalier Saint-George by Hugh Brewster.
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LibraryThing member marcheisler
This is the story of Joseph Boulogne, the son of a white West Indies plantation owner and a black slave. It is a great book to use to explore the issue of slavery and the many facets of it. An extremely unique story and nicely illustrated, though nothing innovative- the focus is the story.
LibraryThing member marabie
This biography includes a lot of vocabulary that might be hard for an elementary student to undrstand. It also uses plenty of musical terms that are unfamilar to most readers. The book contains plenty of information and flows well in chronological order. The lack of author note does not help
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readers to decide if the author is creditab;e. However, I did enjoy the book and learn a lot.
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LibraryThing member TaraKennedy
This was a lovely biography of a French musician of color. Born the son of a French noble and a slave in the Caribbean, he became a famous musician who inspired Mozart and performed for the King and Queen of France. Good, engaging, text. Beautiful illustrations.
Reading Level: 3.8 Interest Level:
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K-3
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Language

Original publication date

2011

Physical description

40 p.; 9.25 x 0.39 inches

ISBN

0375836004 / 9780375836008
Page: 1.0921 seconds