LE BANANIER

DURATION: 3-1/4 minutes. Based on a Creole folk song, En avan' Grenadie (On Grenadiers!) that was sung by Louisiana Creoles during the Battle of New Orleans (1814), LE BANANIER became massively popular with the Parisian audiences who came to hear the young Louis Moreau Gottschalk in his solo piano recitals. The title means "The Banana Tree," and the piece is full of African-Caribbean influence, all above a musette-like accompaniment. LE BANANIER is part of Creative Spirit's IN-TOUCH-WITH-ONE-ANOTHER world music series and one of our many GOTTSCHALK TRANSCRIPTIONS. For a three-movement suite including it along with Gottschalk's BAMBOULA and PASQUINADE see CREOLE DANCES.