Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) was born in New Orleans of an English father and French Creole mother. He began music lessons at the age of five and seven years later travelled to Paris, where he studied piano and composition. His official debut recital (on piano) was in 1849 (in Paris; he was 20) and included several of his “Creole” compositions. This launched his career as a virtuoso pianist and a composer of works influenced by Creole songs and syncopated rhythms; Europeans hailed him as the first authentic musical voice from the New World. Gottschalk returned to the US in 1853, but his appeal to Americans did not match his European success. From that point he toured and performed constantly in North, Central, and—for his last four years—South America. He died of malaria (and probably exhaustion) in Rio di Janeiro. Gottschalk wrote operas, concertos, orchestral works, and songs, and many works for piano. He was one of the most important 19th-century American composers, especially because of his nationalistic and exotic works.