Mohammad Iqbal:

>I listened today to some works by a composer whose name is Gottchalk. Have
>you heard that name before?
>
>His music is great. I loved all the piano pieces that was
>performed. I wish
>I heard that beautiful music before.
>
>Anyway, I have two questions:
>1. Can you provise some info about this composer? Did he write orchestral
>works and/or operatic works?

Oxford University Press published a work on Gottschalk called Bamboula!,
by S. Frederick Starr.  It tells all about his career and places it in
historical context.  Yes, he wrote orchestral works, the most famous being
his so-called Symphony No.  2, "A Night in the Tropics." Amazingly, the
work has never been performed according to Gottschalk's original score
since the composer's death.  In fact, the first scholarly edition is just
ready to come out.  No operas.  Although Gottschalk grew up in New Orleans
and Paris, both operatic centers, he composed almost all of his music for
his own use as a traveling piano virtuoso and for the concerts he gave.  We
have the orchestral works because a large local band drew in the paying
customers.

>2. One of the pieces called 'Ojos Coriollos'. What does this name mean?

"Ojos Criollos" means "Creole Eyes" (I think).  It is based on a Cuban
contradanze.  Not all of Gottschalk's music is based on Caribbean music.
In fact, most of it sounds like Liszt or Thalberg.  However, the pieces
that have kept people's interest have been the Caribbean stuff.

Steve Schwartz