''La Savane'' (The Savannah), Op. 3, is a composition in the form of a ballade written for piano in 1846 by the American composer

Louis Moreau Gottschalk Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 – December 18, 1869) was an American composer, pianist, and virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works. He spent most of his working career outside the United States. Life and career Gottschalk ...

. With the subtitle ''Ballade Créole,'' it was first published in 1849 by Gottschalk's publisher 'Escudiers' and again in 1850 by Editions Schott, with a dedication to

Maria II of Portugal Dona Maria II (Maria da Glória Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga de Habsburgo-Lorena e Bragança; 4 April 1819 – 15 November 1853) also known as "the Educator" () or as ...

on the composer's assumption that a trip from

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

during his concert tour in the spring of that year was likely to happen. ''La Savane'' is supposedly inspired by the local story that the skeletons of runaway slaves who perished in the swamps around New Orleans had turned into oaks. It features an introductory melody that resembles the folk tune ''

Skip to My Lou "Skip to My (The) Lou" (Roud Folk Song Index, Roud 3433 and 3593) is a popular American folk song and partner-stealing dance from the 1840s. Carl Sandburg, poet and biographer of President Abraham Lincoln, writes that "Skip-to-my-Lou" was a ...

,'' but it is actually based on portions of the Creole Louisiana song ''Lolotte'' or ''Pov'piti Lolotte.'' Written in the key of

E-flat minor E-flat minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature consists of six flats. Its relative key is G-flat major (or enharmonically F-sharp major) and its parallel key is E-flat major. ...

, it consists of 146 bars and has an 84 bpm Andante tempo, with the mood marked as ''con malinconia.''

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* Solo piano compositions by Louis Moreau Gottschalk 1846 compositions Piano compositions in the Romantic era Compositions in E-flat minor Music with dedications Piano ballades {{classical-composition-stub