Gottschalk's music was a favorite choice for 1920's movies.It was frequently used to accompany on piano still silent pictures. The Dying Poet and The Last Hope were the most played pieces as they could support very sentimental or maudlin scenes. It then disappeared as the speech appeared. Only recently, it has returned to the screen, first tentatively in a few obscure films and then as part of the soundtrack of larger productions. It is even central in a french film by Michel Deville (quite unknown elsewhere). With the emergence of new media, Internet development and the recent development of Youtube, performances, adaptations, ballets based on the music of Gottschalk are now filmed by amateurs and professionals. Only the latter will obviously be listed here. Gottschalk was also the subject of television documentaries. Not easily accessible today, they deserve a mention.Finally, we also include in this page a few radio programs devoted to Gottschalk.
Gottschalk, a musical portrait from John Huszar, 1986 This film chronicles the life of Gottschalk with a long interview of Robert Offergeld. The music is performed by Philippe Entremont with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra, which plays several orchestral works by Gottschalk. Brochure
Produced byFilm America Available on DVD. (Ordering information here, on the Thompsonian Institution website).
Louis Moreau Gottschalk, compositeur des amériquesfrom Andreas Skipis, 1998 Released in November 2000 on the europan channel Arte, this documentary uses the travel notes of Gottschalk as thread with orchestral works. More information
Produced by ARD/RBB Not commercially available.
Tod in Rio from Christoph Ullrich, 2001 Program proposed by this pianist and which was broadcasted on german television.
Not commercially available.
Movie Soundtracks
Aux petits bonheurs (Life's Little Treasures) from Michel Deville, 1994
This french movie is about love affairs, simple pleasures of a few men and women who will gather for a few days in a villa, around a piano and the music of Gottschalk who is perhaps the main actor. Music performance is by Noël Lee.
The soundtrack is on Amazon.fr . The video was not released on DVD. The movie can only be found as used VHS.
An apartment kitchen: a man and a woman discuss Little Red Riding Hood, their voices hushed, mindful of waking the little girl sleeping next room. Waste land on the city outskirts: behind a line of abandoned trailers, the man silently watches what seems to be a family. The same city, the same man: driving through traffic with two hand-made firing pins for a hunting rifle. The man is 42 years old, his name - Viorel. Troubled by obscure thoughts, he drives across the city to a destination known only to him.
Silent film about Louis Armstrong's childhood in New Orleans. The movie is accompanied by live music performed by Cecile Licad for the piano part. She plays jazz melodies and several works from Gottschalk. The movie will be projected in different US cities. Don't miss it.
La Rafle ("The Round Up") from Roselyne Bosch, 2010 with Mélanie Laurent, Jean Reno
Synopsis : 1942. Joseph is 11. A Jew, he must go to school with a yellow star sewn onto his chest. Although he is mocked by some, others treat him kindly and he feels that he and his family have found a safe refuge in Paris. At least that is what he thinks until 16th July. On that day, German soldiers raid the homes of thousands of Jewish families like Joseph’s and drive 13,000 Jews - men, women and children - into the Winter Velodrome, the first stage of a horrific journey. This is a true story that depicts the tragic events of one dark summer that has haunted the French nation ever since.
La Savane , performed by C. Licad appears twice, in the film and in the second part of the closing credits.
DVD not yet available.
Love in the time of cholera from Mike Newell, 2007 with Javier Bardem and Giovanna Mezzogiorno
Synopsis : In the late 1800s, in a Caribbean port city, a young telegraph operator named Florentino Ariza falls deliriously in love with Fermina Daza, a beautiful student. She is so sheltered that they carry on their romance secretly, through letters and telegrams. When Fermina Daza's father finds out about her suitor, he sends her on a trip intended to make her forget the affair. Lorenza Daza has much higher ambitions for his daughter than the humble Florentino. Her grief at being torn away from her lover is profound, but when she returns she breaks off the relationship, calling everything that has happened between them an illusion...
Pensive, Polka redowa performed by P. Martin was chosen here but almost unnoticed, being a mere background music during a meeting between Florentino and his Uncle.
This thriller is about a love story full of false pretenses between a wealthy Cuban and a beautiful American woman. Betrayal, Lies, Exoticism and Sensuality were not enough to make it a success. Respectively to accompany a game of poker and a spinning, Bamboula and Souvenir de la Havaneare here performed by Ludovic-Amadeus Selmi. We also have great tunes from Cuban composer Cervantes who participated to Gottschalk's festivals and has probably been his student before leaving for Paris.
This film awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, is about the Serb-Croat conflict. The action takes place in London with two refugees from the two camps.
Grand Isle from Mary Lambert, 1990 with Kelly Mc Gillis, Jon DeVries and Adrian Pasdar
In XIXth century Louisiana (era and country of Gottschalk...), Grand Isle is the story of a wealthy woman (Kelly McGillis) who will escape the mundane life for a love story with a Creole artist (Adrian Pasdar). She will tragically try to break up with her husband and society.Grand Isle is adapted from the novel by Kate Chopin: The Awakening
Produced by Light Cone, non-profit association specialized in experimental cinema, this short film is a succession of chaotic images of streets, the whole being accompanied by the travel notes and the music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and also Henri Vieuxtemps. Text and Video
Ballets and concerts
A variety of ballets on Gottschalk's music has been made, notably by Balanchine. Some have been filmed but only one DVD is commercially available. Other videos were only realised for television or were never publicly broadcasted. They are only available in some U.S. libraries.
American Ballet Theatre in San Francisco, 1985. This ballet, filmed at the Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, March 1, 1985 includes a large section devoted to Gottschalk: "Great Galloping Gottschalk" with Souvenir de Porto Rico, The Dying Poet, Tournament Galop, La Savane, Oh Ma Charmante, épargnez-moi, Manchega, le Bananier. It was choreographed by Lynn Taylor-Corbett Produced by Robin Scott Available on DVD (buy it on amazon.fr)
Severin Von Eckardstein, Live Recital, 2008 The german pianist Severin Von Eckardstein performs here Gottschalk's Tournament Galop (with Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Janacek, Scriabine, Medtner). Produced by VAI (Video Artists International) Available on amazon.fr
Newport Music Festival 2007 In this edition of Newport Festival, two Gottschalk's compositions (Souvenir de Porto-Rico, Pasquinade) are performed by Michael Endres.
Produced by Lawrence Kraman Available as a compilation of 10 DVDs.
Piano Extravaganza by the Verbier Festival & Academy, 2004 It is a concert with several pianos and pianists as Gottschalk used to organize. Union is here played by 8 pianos. The transcription is unfortunately not from Gottschalk (we miss the score of "The Battle of Bunker Hill" ) but from Patrick Russ and Samuel Adler. Prestigious pianists are involved (Lang Lang, James Levine, Staffan Scheja, Evgeny Kissin, Emmanuel Ax, Nicolas Angelich, Leif Ove Andsnes and Mikhail Pletnev) but the result is not convincing, mainly due to a bad sound recording.
Produced by RCA & Al. Available on DVD (buy it on amazon.fr)
Free Videos
Youtube has some videos by professionals who accepted their diffusion. (we do not list the others).
Frank French plays Gottschalk. Apart from his commercially available album, Frank French uploaded on youtube some of his performances : Bamboula, Mancenillier, Pasquinade.
Jelani Eddington & David Harris play Grand Tarantelle. This duo adapted Gottschalk's Grand Tarentelle for organ and piano. This performance should be issued on DVD.
Youtube is also full of great amateurs videos. You will find them within the following playlist : Playlist Youtube
Audiography (Radio programs...)
Apart from american radios, some european ones realised very interesting programs as the radio suisse romande with more than 4 hours about the life and music of Gottschalk. We hope that such programs will be broadcasted again.
Balades latino-américaines, Marcel Quillévéré, France Musique, French Radio ; 2011, July 09, 16, 23, 30 August 06, 13, 20, 27 This eminent french radio dedicated two hours every sunday afternoon of the summer 2011 to the discovery of the Latin-american music. Louis Moreau Gottschalk was the travelling guide of this program. Recalling his numerous trips, we were immersed as he was in the musical atmosphere of several countries. Numerous rarely played composers were introduced and even some Espadero's compositions were on the program. French and English versions of Gottschalk.fr were both the reference link on the page presenting the first program (website and screenshot).
Chopin comes to America, WDAV Classical Public Radio, 20 mars 2010 Short program. Audio and transcription are available here
Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Stars and Stripes, Concertzender, Netherland Radio, 2010, march 17th. Temporarily available here
Histoire de ... la musique américaine - Gottschalk et Paine, Anne-Charlotte Rémond, France Musique (french radio), 2010, march, 15th. France Musique realised in march and april 2010 a series dedicated to american music. Gottschalk naturally finds his place among Foster, Ives, Copland... Temporarily available here
RCF made a series of programs on Gottschalk (5x30 min) during one week in November 2009 (23th to 27th). Gottschalk's life was then narrated with much music as illustrations.
Louis Moreau Gottschalk, d'un air entendu, Jean-Luc Rieder - Espace 2, Radio Suisse Romande. (2007)
This radio has devoted a series of five 50' emissions (from april 23th to 27th 2007) on Louis Moreau Gottschalk with many works by him and other composers from the same period. Between the music pieces, Jean-Luc Rieder read and gives life to Gottschalk's travel notes.
Fanny Hensel and Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Conference about Fanny Hensel and Louis Moreau Gottschalk (2007/02/16). Available on Internet Archive. (stream audio here)
Gottschalk, the first Gershwinn, Compact Discoveries (this program has been broadcasted on different american radios since 2006)
