The son of a Jewish business man from New York and a Creole
mother, Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born on May 8, 1829. Though he grew up in
New Orleans, much of his early musical experiences that would shape his music
later in life likely were in his own home. His mother, grandmother and nurse
had grown up in Haiti and had escaped the island after its slave uprising. He
began piano lessons at an early age and soon became recognized as a prodigy
throughout the city after his informal public debut in 1840.
At the young age of thirteen, Gottschalk left the United
State and travelled to Europe. Realizing that he needed formal training, he
applied to the prestigious Paris Conservatoire. He was rejected, however,
solely based on his nationality, and the head of the piano faculty, Pierre
Zimmerman, scoffed at the idea of an American training to be a musician with
his comment that "America is a country of steam engines." Undeterred,
Gottschalk studied piano and composition privately and formed important
connections, eventually gaining him access to the musical establishment. When
he made his Paris debut at the Salle Pleyel in 1845, he drew the praise of
Chopin himself. His first compositions from this period, based on the
syncopated Creole melodies he grew up hearing, became widely popular in Europe
and later worldwide.
In 1853, Gottschalk returned to the United States and took
up support of his mother and siblings in the wake of his father's death. Within
a decade, he established himself as the leading pianist in the New World.
Following his mother's death in 1857, he embarked on a long tour through the
Caribbean. When he returned to America again, the country had plunged into a
brutal civil war. Gottschalk's sympathies were with the Union and he toured the
Northern states until 1864, returning to his native New Orleans only for the
occasional concert. The following year, he left for the burgeoning West Coast.
An ardent support of education, Gottschalk began giving
benefit concerts for public schools and libraries. However, during his tour of
California in 1865, a scandalous involvement with a student at the Oakland
Female Seminary, led to an excoriation by the press. Gottschalk promptly left
the United States, boarding a steamer bound for Panama City, and never
returned.
Travelling through South America, Gottschalk maintained a
busy concert schedule. At a concert in Rio de Janeiro, on
November 24, 1869, he collapsed just after beginning to play his celebrated
piece Tremolo. His condition quickly
worsened and he died three weeks later, on December 18, 1869.
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Biography
The son of a Jewish business man from New York and a Creole mother, Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born on May 8, 1829. Though he grew up in New Orleans, much of his early musical experiences that would shape his music later in life likely were in his own home. His mother, grandmother and nurse had grown up in Haiti and had escaped the island after its slave uprising. He began piano lessons at an early age and soon became recognized as a prodigy throughout the city after his informal public debut in 1840.
At the young age of thirteen, Gottschalk left the United State and travelled to Europe. Realizing that he needed formal training, he applied to the prestigious Paris Conservatoire. He was rejected, however, solely based on his nationality, and the head of the piano faculty, Pierre Zimmerman, scoffed at the idea of an American training to be a musician with his comment that "America is a country of steam engines." Undeterred, Gottschalk studied piano and composition privately and formed important connections, eventually gaining him access to the musical establishment. When he made his Paris debut at the Salle Pleyel in 1845, he drew the praise of Chopin himself. His first compositions from this period, based on the syncopated Creole melodies he grew up hearing, became widely popular in Europe and later worldwide.
In 1853, Gottschalk returned to the United States and took up support of his mother and siblings in the wake of his father's death. Within a decade, he established himself as the leading pianist in the New World. Following his mother's death in 1857, he embarked on a long tour through the Caribbean. When he returned to America again, the country had plunged into a brutal civil war. Gottschalk's sympathies were with the Union and he toured the Northern states until 1864, returning to his native New Orleans only for the occasional concert. The following year, he left for the burgeoning West Coast.
An ardent support of education, Gottschalk began giving benefit concerts for public schools and libraries. However, during his tour of California in 1865, a scandalous involvement with a student at the Oakland Female Seminary, led to an excoriation by the press. Gottschalk promptly left the United States, boarding a steamer bound for Panama City, and never returned.
Travelling through South America, Gottschalk maintained a busy concert schedule. At a concert in Rio de Janeiro, on November 24, 1869, he collapsed just after beginning to play his celebrated piece Tremolo. His condition quickly worsened and he died three weeks later, on December 18, 1869.