- Louis Chauvin
Louis Chauvin (
March 13 ,1881 —March 26 ,1908 , aged 27) was anAfrican American ragtime musician.Born in
St. Louis, Missouri of a Mexican Spanish-Indian father and an African American mother, he was widely considered the finest pianist in the St. Louis area at the turn of the century. He was part of the ragtime community that met atTom Turpin 's Rosebud bar, along with Joe Jordan and others.Chauvin died in Chicago. Whereas his death certificate lists causes of death as "
multiple sclerosis , probably symphlitic," and starvation due to coma, a modern diagnosis would probably conclude he had a neurosyphilitic sclerosis and not link it to multiple sclerosis. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.He left only three published compositions and died without having recorded, so his ability is hard to judge today. However, he was long remembered by his peers as an exceptionally gifted performer and composer. He is primarily remembered today for "Heliotrope Bouquet," the rag he wrote with
Scott Joplin , in which the first two strains are his and the last two Joplins.His published works are:
* "The Moon is Shining in the Skies" (with Sam Patterson, 1903)
* "Babe, It's Too Long Off" (words by Elmer Bowman, 1906)
* "Heliotrope Bouquet" (with Scott Joplin, 1907)ee also
*
African American music
*African American musical theater He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, MO. Calvary's burial records list the causes of death as Multiple Sclerosis. [source: Calvary Cemetery, 5239 West Florissant Ave. St. Louis, MO 63115 - 314-381-1313] ] [ -- () 16:32, 9 September 2008 (UTC)References
*"They All Played Ragtime" by
Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis. Knopf, 1950.
*"Jazz and Death: Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats" by Frederick J. Spencer. Mississippi, 2002.
*cite book
last=Jasen
first=David A.
coauthors=Trebor Jay Tichenor
title=Rags and Ragtime: A Musical History
publisher=Dover Publications, Inc.
year=1978
location=New York, NY
pages=p. 101-103
isbn=0-486-25922-6
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