denny Study & Teaching books

(Eugene List, piano) Grande Fantasia Triunfal Sobre o Hino Nacional Brasileiro by Louis Moreau GOTTSCHALK The First Great American Pianist Born in New Orleans in 1829, Louis Moreau Gottschalk grew up in a neighbourhood where he was exposed to the Creole music with its African-Caribbean rhythms and the melodious folk songs that would later become a characteristic ingredient of much of his own music In 1842 he left the United States and sailed to Europe, realizing that a classical training would be required to achieve his musical goals. While such professionalism in a 13-year old would normally be the result of the parents´ ambitions, it is clear from Gottschalk´s letters, that he himself was the driving force. In a letter to his mother, for example, he wrote that "I definitely expect that in two years or perhaps less I shall be earning a living on my own." In Europe, however, Gottschalk had a rather bumpy start, as the Conservatoire in Paris rejected his application. For this reason, Gottschalk had to study privately with Karl Hallé, Camille-Marie Stamaty and Pierre Malenden (the latter teaching composition). In the years to follow, despite the initial rejection by the musical establishment, he built a first career as a pianist virtuoso, prompting Frédéric Chopin to predict that Gottschalk would soon become one of the foremost pianists of the century. In 1853, Gottschalk returned to the United States, possibly trying to escape an environment that he regarded as being ...