Louis Moreau Gottschalk

L. M. Gottschalk

Interesting people tend to stay in B&Bs.  I don't mean to insinuate that only uninteresting people stay in chain hotels, only that there's a general rule that the people who choose to stay in a bed and breakfast tend to enjoy conversation on a variety of topics.  

One of the nicest things about being innkeepers is that we have the time to hold actual conversations with our guests.  If we ran a big hotel, we wouldn't have that opportunity.  A little small talk here and there, an exchange of pleasantries from time to time, a wish of bon voyage when people depart, but that's about all.  As innkeepers we get to dedicate an hour or two of every day, sometimes more, interacting with people on a personal level, mano á mano, which means hand-to-hand, not man to man. We learn as much from our guests as we hope they learn from us.




We recently had a couple from Virginia, of all delightful places, stay with us for a week.  They were big fans of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and went to find the house where he grew up.  Who is Louis Moreau Gottschalk?  He was a composer and virtuoso pianist.  Listen to the Fiesta Criolla, above, which he composed.  It's got a hint of the bamboula in it.

L. M. Gottschalk (Louie to his friends) always referred to himself as a native New Orleanian, which he was, though he spent much of his life abroad.  He was born in a house a little over a mile from ours, on the corner of Royal Street and Esplanade Avenue.  That house isn't standing anymore.  Ours is.  When I say that, it isn't to brag.  I only mean to say you can stay with us in the 2200 block of Esplanade Avenue if you choose to.

Not well remembered today, though famous in his time, Louie has a website dedicated to documenting his life and work.  

Because of our guests we have a few Louie Gottschalk CDs in the mail that I can listen to while I sweep up around the house.  I'm sure Tammie the Housekeeper will be delighted to listen to them, too.  Whenever I play anything that isn't Louie Armstrong, Tammie the Housekeeper refers to it as "longhair music."

Interestingly, when Louie Gottschalk was in Europe he wrinkled his nose at composers who wouldn't get a proper haircut.  He had this to say about Franz Liszt's students: "There was no romantic who did not wear his hair long and there are today some who have none of Liszt's talents except the hair."  In his day, Liszt was known as the typical longhair bohemian, par excellence.

Tammie the Housekeeper

Whether you have heard of the musicians or not, New Orleans has influenced music long before there was jazz.  It's a hotpot as much as a melting pot.  It's a gumbo pot.  I haven't even mentioned Professor Longhair, who is famous in these parts.  There is even a park named after him.

Come on down and see what I mean.

À votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.