The First Piano Professors and the Lost Music of Early New Orleans

Long before recorded sound, New Orleans was a thriving center of musical composition. The First Piano Professors and the Lost Music of Early New Orleans reveals a largely unheard chapter of the city’s musical history—one that helped lay the foundation for jazz and American popular music.

Through rare sheet music, historic instruments, and newly commissioned recordings, this exhibition brings 19th-century piano traditions back to life. Visitors will encounter compositions that have not been heard since their original publication in the 1800s.

New Orleans’ early musical culture was shaped by a dynamic blend of African, Afro-Caribbean, Creole, and European influences. The composers featured in this exhibition were widely known in their time, yet their works gradually disappeared from public memory.

These rediscovered pieces—including dance music, Mardi Gras compositions, banjo imitations, voodoo-inspired works, and brass band marches—offer a direct link to the sounds that would later define jazz and rhythm & blues.

Curated by pianist and archivist John Davis, the exhibition is the culmination of a 30-year search for rare keyboard works preserved primarily in print.

The project is part of the museum’s broader Lost Music of Early New Orleans initiative, an ongoing effort to recover, perform, and record the city’s earliest piano repertoire.
 

Opening Event

Thursday, April 16, 2026
6:00–9:00 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum

Be among the first to experience the exhibition at its opening celebration, featuring:

• Live music performances
• Refreshments
• First public access to the exhibition