Festa Criolla (from A Night in the Topics) Louis Moreau Gottschalk / Arr. Douglas McLain

Louis Moreau Gottschalk's compositions were the first to incorporate rhythms and 'native' melodies of the West Indies into the concert music mainstream. His music astutely predated what would become ragtime and early jazz music. In the summer of 1859 Gottschalk stayed in Matouba, Guadeloupe where he completed the score for his first symphony, La Nuit des Tropiques. Festa Criolla is the second (and last) movement of this symphony. The symphony was premiered in Havana in 1860 and one can only imagine the excitement of the audience when playing the Festa Criolla!