Hi Tomi,  It's not true that Gottschalk's music was 'dead' shortly after
his death.  I've provided much supporting evidence for this in my MMD
postings of 7/30/98, 8/17/98 and 8/24/98; see the MMD Archives.

If you want to hear a Gottschalk piece that is almost 'pure' ragtime,
listen to his Polka in B-flat;  available on Hyperion CD performed by
Philip Martin.

I have a collection of sheet music published in Argentina in the 1850s
that has a lot of habaneras and music with other precursors of ragtime.

Larry Lobel - Virtuoso Piano Service
Petaluma, California