Haitian Beatz

Ludovic Lamothe (12 May 1882 - 4 April 1953) was a Haitian composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of Haiti's most important classical composers.

A native of Port-au-Prince, he was born into a distinguished literary family,   and both his parents were pianists. His grandfather, Joseph Lamothe, was also a noted instrumentalist. Lamothe had his first lessons from his mother and studied the piano and clarinet at the Institution Saint Louis de Gonzague in his native Port-au-Prince where he exhibited exceptional technical and compositional abilities from a young age.   In 1910, German merchants in Haiti recognised his talents and funded a scholarship for him to go and continue his studies in Paris, France. There he would study under Louis Diemer at the Paris Conservatory.

Louis Diémer, Lamothe's mentor in Paris

Lamothe returned to Haiti in 1911, remaining there for the rest of his life; he taught and gave private recitals on the piano in his home. He gained a reputation for reciting the works of Frédéric Chopin, his favourite composer, and he became known as the "Black Chopin",particularly amongst music scholars and middle-upper class men in Haiti.  On one instance Lamothe was invited to perform an event at the Rex Theatre named “Un Chopinnoir” (A Black Chopin) to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Frederic Chopin. Lamothe recited, among others, Chopin's Polonaise in A Flat.

As a composer, Lamothe wrote expressionly for his own instrument, and became known especially for his songs and short piano pieces.   Lamothe's repertoire included a range of méringue, from the most formal, elite-oriented forms to the méringue of the low orders.   He was not only influenced by traditional European classical music, but he was influenced by local traditions including Haitian Vodou ceremonial music and carnivals and Haitian peasant culture and influences which reflected a shared African heritage.  One scholar has described Lamothe's repertoire as "predominantly classical in form, but creole in inspiration.  Another musical scholar, Claude Carré of the online magazine Boutoures has described Lamothe as "representing the nationalist movement in Haitian classical music" and being "an emblematic figure, a piano virtuoso and a performer of Chopin, who left us a number of important compositions for piano."