Friday, January 16, 2009

Biographer Gabriel Banat Comments on Discovery of Saint-Georges Death Report by Pierre Bardin

[Le Chevalier de Saint-GeorgesViolin Concertos, Op. 5, Nos. 1 & 2; Op. 3, No. 1; Op. 8, No. 9; Bernard Thomas Chamber Orchestra; Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Violin; Arion 68093 (1990)] 

On January 15, 2009, AfriClassical posted “Biographer Pierre Bardin Discovers Death Report of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)”. On January 16, 2009, we received a comment on the post from Gabriel Banat, author of The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow. His well-documented account was also published in 2006, a few months before Pierre Bardin's book appeared:

Dear Bill, Here is the gist of what I wrote to Pierre Bardin congratulating him on his latest find about "our" chevalier'(in English) and welcoming, (thanks to you, Bill letting me have a copy of his message) the opportunity to henceforth continue our mutual correspondence by e-mail.

Cher Ami, etc., In the spirit of your generous words e.g. that "my work and yours complement
each other" I took the liberty to point out that, as you know,the two documents reproduced 
exclusively in my book, "The Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow, 
(published in June, 2006) proved that the latter did not die alone. Moreover, a sentence in the 
obituary: "some time before his death, he stayed with his friend (Nicholas Duhamel)", and an 
entry in the second, "Nicholas Duhamel, Ex officer same house, rue Boucherat 13," signed by 
the collector of his remains, already corrected the "impression that he died alone and in his 
own house on rue Chartres".

Entry in doc. DQ839, City of Paris arch. by Chagneau, ("collector of remains") (Page 520 in my book). Obituary in "Courier des spectacles" June 10, 1799, by J.A.Cuvelier (Page 484 in my book). Thanks, Bill, and keep up the good work!  Gabriel Banat 

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