The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-21
OBITUARY..
I,ouIs NIorenu C,otsechaIL,

chOly intelligence OF the death OF the we'll
Anown American pianist ana composer, l.. NJ.
Goitscbalk. During grand concert In Rio
Janeiro he fell senseless at his instrum ,nt, while
performing his favorite composition, ia Morte.
He expired at Tijucs, near Rio, whittier be had
been removed, on the 18th of December, after a
lingering illness of three weeks dura ion. The
fact Of his being seized by the sudden indisposi-
tion which resulted in his death while In the act
of rendering LA Morte" is startling coinci-
dence. The Emperor of Brazil, with whom
Gottschalk was great fayorite, manifested
great anxiety during his illness, and sent con-
tinually to obtain tidings of his condition. The
funeral solemnities were conducted under the
auspices of the Philharmonic Society of Rio
Janeiro. 1t was attended by great numbers of
people of all nationalities. His remains were
deposited in the Church of st. John the Baptist.
Louis M. Gottschalk was born in New Orleans
on the 9th of May, 1899, and consequently was
only In his forty-frst year at the time of his
death. His parents we're Aimee de Brusle and
Edward Gottschalk. His maternal great-grand-
father, Count Antoine de Brusle, colonel of
cavalry under Louis XIV, was Governor of San
Domingo during the negro insurrecton which
occurred towards the close of the last century
After having, at the head of the colonial troops,
struggled bravely against the insurgents and
having seen his wife and most of his children
perish, he was traced in the woods by his former
slaves, and escaped, thanks to the devotion of
an old negress, q kind of sorceress, who passed
him, under the mask of night, through the
camps of the insurgents. His eldest son, Count
Camille de Brusle, and wife, gained by swim
ming (under the fire of their pursuers) an Eng
lsh ship which lay near the coast, and which
was bound for New Orleans.
Ill. -
doctor of science, from the University of Cam
bridge, whose love of travel had led him to
America, was presented to Count de Brusle, and
not long after epoused Nademoisele Aimee,
his daughter Thus Gottschalk became creole.
The first years of his life were passed upon the
shores of the romantic Lake Pontchartrain at
Pass Christian, then only inhabited by the rem
nant of an Indian tribe. As child he was of
frail and delicate health, but of tender and
thoughtful nature. He was accustomed to roam
at pleasure for entire days In those wild and
melancholy savannahs, and often after pro-
traeted search would be found sitting in reverie
upon o mound in the centre of the Indian forest
which, according to tradition, was the grave of
an entire tribe who had been massacred by the
Spaniards He was Graded among the songs of
the negroes, nOurished by Creole legends and
surrounded by the mysterious Indian nature
from his birth.
At the age of four or five years he began by
artistic intuition, without a master, to express
upon the piano his thoughts and emotions-the
strange and underlined melodies which were the
fruits Of his solitary musings. The Indians living
in the neighborhood of his home used often OF
an evening to gather in crowds around his door,
amazed at the knowledge of the little white, ~
and charmed by the strange, sweet sounds
which he drew from the "big box" At the age
of seven, the child gave his first concert for a
pious charity. At ten he composed several
| studies, which possessed great merit.
The worldly prosperity of his parents removed
| from their minds all thoughts of his becoming
an artist, but still his love of music was care
| fully nurtured. He pursued his studies from
| his own free choice, and his rapid progress was
Que as much to the harmony of his surrounding
as his own great genius ftss trs
When General jackson, at the age of seventy
desired again to behold the scene of those bril-
| liant victories which he had achieved over tn,
English, Louisiana wishing to honor her veteran
hero, organized q choice company, composed o.
the grandsons of those who had distinguished
themselves in battle on the 9Th of January 1915
| Young Gottschalk was chosen lieutenant Th,
! old General, attracted by the tender beauty O
| the little officer took him upon his knees, and
embracing him repeatedly, predicted for him
brilliant career. He was only deceived In the
manner In which the prediction would be full
filed. He expected to behold in Gottschalk
renowned military general, but it was only il
the army of musicians that his peaceful laurel
were gained. l
If the progress of tx young Creole was re.
markabie, the retentiveness of his memory fol
music was truly wonderful, for, In the incredibl,
short space of one or two days, he would learr
hundreds of pages; but this facility fer memo
rizing failed when he entered the domain ol
literature. Piqued by the remonstrances Of his
professor, however, his genius enabled him tC
form q system of musical mnemotechny. Al
the Messieurs de Port Royal, who converted tn,
rules Of the Latin grammar and prosody intC
eouplets, SO Gottschalk found the means of ap
plying his ly rical melomania to geography and
history. In like manner he pat TART poetique o.
Boileau in 1873, and learnt IL by heart. Thus ht
soon stood first in his class.
His father having decided to send him to Parl
to complete his studies young Gottschalk de
parted for France in 1S41. His first master o
the piano was NJ. Charles Halle, but he wa
soon succeeded by NJ. Camille Stamaty Thi
eminent professor perceived at once the grea
talent of his pupil, and devoted himself con
scientiously to Its development. Gottschall
continued his studies in Paris for four years.
In 1874 Gottschalk gave private soiree in tn,
Sale Pleyel, which was attended by brillian
assemblage of the most distinguished Parisians
Chopin was present. After the young pirtuos,
had concluded his mastery execution of tn,
concerto in minor, the author of the immorta
| I1polooassseD ran and annhra oad hin, avoIo;,,