Gottschalk or Gottschalck, d. c.868, German theologian; son of the count of Saxony. He was placed as a boy in the monastery of Fulda (c.822). He did not wish to be a monk but was forced by Rabanus Maurus Magnentius, his superior, to remain. In 829 a synod freed him of his vows, but he went to the monastery of Orbais, where he was ordained a priest. He soon began to teach an extreme doctrine of predestination, holding that God had selected in advance whom God would save and whom God would condemn. His views, which he apparently derived from St. Augustine, created great interest. He preached in Italy and elsewhere. Rabanus and Hincmar worked to suppress him, and Gottschalk was condemned in 848 and 849, deposed from the priesthood, and imprisoned in the monastery of Hautvilliers.

Gottschalk, Louis Moreau, 1829-69, American pianist and composer, b. New Orleans, of English-French parentage, studied in Paris. Chopin and Berlioz praised his playing, and he appeared successfully in Europe, the United States, and South America. His orchestral compositions include two symphonic poems, La Nuit des Tropiques and Montevideo. He composed more than 100 piano pieces, essentially written in the romantic style with additional elements drawn from vernacular American traditions such as African-American and Creole rhythms and Spanish subjects. Immensely popular in his lifetime, these include The Banjo, The Last Hope, and The Dying Poet.

(born May 8, 1829, New Orleans, La., U.S.—died Dec. 18, 1869, Rio de Janeiro, Braz.) U.S. composer and pianist. He was exposed early to the music of New Orleans's Caribbean and Latin American population. Sent to France at age 13 to study music, he quickly became known throughout Europe as a piano virtuoso and a composer of exotic piano works. He returned in 1853 and toured the U.S., West Indies, and South America. Though he wrote operas and symphonies, he is known for his more than 200 piano pieces, including La Bamboula, Le Bananier, Le Banjo, L'Union, and The Dying Poet. Gottschalk was the first American pianist to achieve international recognition and the first American composer to employ Latin American and Creole folk themes and rhythms.

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(born May 8, 1829, New Orleans, La., U.S.—died Dec. 18, 1869, Rio de Janeiro, Braz.) U.S. composer and pianist. He was exposed early to the music of New Orleans's Caribbean and Latin American population. Sent to France at age 13 to study music, he quickly became known throughout Europe as a piano virtuoso and a composer of exotic piano works. He returned in 1853 and toured the U.S., West Indies, and South America. Though he wrote operas and symphonies, he is known for his more than 200 piano pieces, including La Bamboula, Le Bananier, Le Banjo, L'Union, and The Dying Poet. Gottschalk was the first American pianist to achieve international recognition and the first American composer to employ Latin American and Creole folk themes and rhythms.

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Gottschalk (Old High German Godescalc, Latinized Godeschalcus or Godescalcus) is a German name, literally translating to "servant of God".

people called Gottschalk:

• Godescalc of Benevento, eighth-century Lombard duke
• Gottschalk (Slavic prince), Prince of Vends (Slavic), 11th century
• Gottschalk (theologian), German monk, 9th century
• Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, Bishop of Freising, beneficiary of the 996 Ostarrîchi document
• a 12th century Holstein peasant, protagonist of the Visio Godeschalci

as a surname:

• Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829–1869) American composer and pianist
• Louis F. Gottschalk (1864–1934) American composer
• Thomas Gottschalk, German entertainer and actor (born 1950)
• Alfred Gottschalk (biochemist), German biochemist