This paper examines the life and career of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829–1869), the New Orleans-born pianist-virtuoso and composer whose music blended classical European training with African-Caribbean and Creole influences. The paper traces his early childhood exposure to Creole music, his formal studies in Paris, his acclaimed European concert career, and his complicated reception upon returning to the United States. It also discusses his abolitionist views, a personal scandal that drove him from the country, and his final years performing across Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper concludes by assessing his lasting legacy as a forerunner of jazz and ragtime and the first American composer to achieve widespread recognition in Europe.
Pianist-virtuoso and composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829–1869) was born in New Orleans and grew up in a neighborhood where Creole music was commonly played. He was heavily influenced by African-Caribbean music throughout the rest of his life (Gelfert, 2001). Gottschalk was exposed to these musical influences both from outside his home and from his grandmother and nurse, who were both natives of Saint-Domingue, a French colony on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola later known as Haiti (Starr, 1995). Gottschalk had six siblings, five of whom were half-siblings born to his father's mulatto mistress (Gelfert, 2001; Starr, 1995).
As a young child, Gottschalk displayed a talent for playing the piano, and his parents hired a private tutor to teach him. He also began learning the violin at the age of six and gave his first public piano performance at the age of eight at the St. Charles Hotel, helping to support a struggling pianist in the New Orleans area (Starr, 1995). His first performance was quite a success, and he was recognized as a piano prodigy (Gelfert, 2001; Starr, 1995). Given that America was not yet a haven for classical pianists or classical musicians, the young Gottschalk and his parents decided that he should receive more formal classical music training in order to realize his ambitions (Loggins, 1958).
Gottschalk moved to Europe in 1842 at the age of 13 in order to study classical music (Starr, 1995). After being rejected by the Conservatoire in Paris, he studied privately with Karl Hallé, Camille-Marie Stamaty, and Pierre Malenden — it was Malenden who taught Gottschalk the piano (Gelfert, 2001). Gottschalk began his formal music career as a teenager in private salons in Paris. His reputation steadily grew, and he soon began performing in larger venues. Eventually he was hailed as one of the finest pianists of his time; even Frédéric Chopin predicted that he would become one of the greatest pianists of the era (Starr, 1995).
Despite his success in Europe, Gottschalk was not impressed by the lifestyle of European musical artists. During this period, Europe was particularly obsessed with classical music, and many composers of the era had developed a kind of cult-like status. Gottschalk was especially skeptical of this phenomenon and was quite critical of the idiosyncratic behaviors and habits it encouraged. For example, he viewed Franz Liszt as an egomaniac (Gottschalk, 2006) and was openly critical of other prominent European musicians — many of whom he felt had little genuine talent but cultivated the appearance of musical genius through affectations such as long hair and certain attitudes (Gelfert, 2001).
Some sources suggest that Gottschalk was also slightly biased against Northern European countries such as Germany during his years abroad, stemming from his cold and formal relationship with his father, who had lived in Germany (Gottschalk, 2006; Starr, 1995). However, he later reached out to Germanic communities to help get his work published. Nonetheless, he developed a reputation as a first-rate virtuoso and toured extensively in France, Spain, and Switzerland. After eleven years in Europe, he returned to the United States in 1853 (Loggins, 1958).
"Debt, critics, and life as traveling performer"
"Union support, scandal, and Pan-American career"
"Forerunner of jazz, ragtime, and American music"
You’re 49% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 3 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.