<George Gershwin>
Zax, David. "Summertime for George Gershwin." Http://www.smithsonianmag.com/. Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.
Zax, David. "Summertime for George Gershwin." Http://www.smithsonianmag.com/. Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.
Composer
Composer: George Gershwin
Born: September 26, 1898, Brooklyn, NY
Died: July 11, 1937, Los Angeles, CA
History:
Born in Brooklyn in 1898, George Gershwin was the second of four children from a tight-knit immigrant family.
Gershwin's family was poor but his parents bought a piano for his older brother Ira.
George, however, was the one who wanted to learn music and master the piano. His parents paid for music lessons. The pianist in Beethoven Symphony Orchestra was Gershwin's mentor. He also studied with American composers and musicians including Rubin Goldmark, Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger and Joseph Schillinger. George Gershwin quit school at the age of 15 to begin his musical career.
When Gershwin first began his musical career, he was a song-plugger on Tin Pan Alley. At just 17 years old, Gershwin wrote and published his first song, "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em", which earned him $5.
In 1919, 3 years later, he scored his first big national hit with his song, "Swanee". In the same year, he completed his first Broadway musical, "La, La Lucille".
In 1924, George began collaborating with his brother, Ira Gershwin. This partnership continued for the rest of the composer's life. It was at this point that Gershwin began to make his mark as a serious composer.
At 25 years old, Gershwin's jazz-influenced “Rhapsody in Blue” premiered in New York’s Aeolian Hall.
In 1937, after many successes on Broadway, the brothers decided go to Hollywood. Again they teamed up with Fred Astaire, who was now paired with Ginger Rogers. They made the musical film, “Shall We Dance”, which included such hits as “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Soon after came “A Damsel in Distress”, in which Astaire appeared with Joan Fontaine. After becoming ill while working on a film, he had plans to return to New York to work on writing serious music. He planned a string quartet, a ballet and another opera, but these pieces were never written. At the age of 38, he died of a brain tumor. Today he remains one of America’s most beloved popular musicians.
Type of Compositions:
Gershwin wrote musicals, songs, piano and orchestral pieces. Most of the lyrics of Gershwin's songs were written by his brother Ira. When Gershwin died, his brother struggled both emotionally and creatively. He would later on release some of Gershwin's unpublished works and write lyrics to Gershwin's compositions which was included in the films "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim" (1947) and "Kiss Me, Stupid" (1964).
Influence:
When Gershwin was 11, his parents bought a used upright piano for his brother Ira. Shortly after, Gershwin surprised everyone by playing a piece he self-studied on the piano. Gershwin began piano instruction under Charles Hambitzer who was so impressed with the young Gershwin's talent that he refused payment. He also studied under composers, namely Wallingford Riegger, Henry Cowell, Edward Kileny and under music theorist Joseph Schillinger. Gershwin was also influenced by the works of Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern.
Discography/Notable Works:
"When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em (When You've Got 'Em You Don't Want 'Em)" (first published song), "Rialto Ripples" (first composition for solo piano), "Swanee" (1919 in the musical Sinbad), "La La Lucille" (1919, musical, composed entire score), "Lullaby for string quartet" and "Rhapsody in Blue." Songs such as "Bidin' My Time," "But Not for Me," "Do, Do, Do," "Embraceable You," "Fascinating Rhythm," "I've Got a Crush on You" and "Isn't It a Pity."
Other Compositions:"I Got Rhythm," "Of Thee I Sing" (1931, won a Pulitzer Prize), "Oh, Lady Be Good," "'S Wonderful," "Someone to Watch over Me," "Strike Up the Band," "Sweet and Low-Down" and "The Man I Love." Songs for movies such as "A Foggy Day," "Love Walked In," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Love Is Here to Stay." "Nice Work if You Can Get It," "They All Laughed" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Orchestral works such as "Concerto in F" (1925), "An American in Paris" (1928) and "Cuban Overture" (1932).
Interesting Facts:
At 15 he dropped out of school and worked as a song plugger for 3 years. Other jobs he held include playing in New York nightclubs, an accompanist and rehearsal pianist for Broadway musicals. "Porgy and Bess" premiered in 1935 with mixed reactions but is now considered one of Gershwin's greatest works. It was later performed at La Scala, Milan, making it the first opera by an American composer to be performed there. Gershwin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. In his spare time, Gershwin is said to play tennis with Arnold Schoenberg.
Rhapsody in Blue was commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, and the composition was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé several times
Born: September 26, 1898, Brooklyn, NY
Died: July 11, 1937, Los Angeles, CA
History:
Born in Brooklyn in 1898, George Gershwin was the second of four children from a tight-knit immigrant family.
Gershwin's family was poor but his parents bought a piano for his older brother Ira.
George, however, was the one who wanted to learn music and master the piano. His parents paid for music lessons. The pianist in Beethoven Symphony Orchestra was Gershwin's mentor. He also studied with American composers and musicians including Rubin Goldmark, Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger and Joseph Schillinger. George Gershwin quit school at the age of 15 to begin his musical career.
When Gershwin first began his musical career, he was a song-plugger on Tin Pan Alley. At just 17 years old, Gershwin wrote and published his first song, "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em", which earned him $5.
In 1919, 3 years later, he scored his first big national hit with his song, "Swanee". In the same year, he completed his first Broadway musical, "La, La Lucille".
In 1924, George began collaborating with his brother, Ira Gershwin. This partnership continued for the rest of the composer's life. It was at this point that Gershwin began to make his mark as a serious composer.
At 25 years old, Gershwin's jazz-influenced “Rhapsody in Blue” premiered in New York’s Aeolian Hall.
In 1937, after many successes on Broadway, the brothers decided go to Hollywood. Again they teamed up with Fred Astaire, who was now paired with Ginger Rogers. They made the musical film, “Shall We Dance”, which included such hits as “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Soon after came “A Damsel in Distress”, in which Astaire appeared with Joan Fontaine. After becoming ill while working on a film, he had plans to return to New York to work on writing serious music. He planned a string quartet, a ballet and another opera, but these pieces were never written. At the age of 38, he died of a brain tumor. Today he remains one of America’s most beloved popular musicians.
Type of Compositions:
Gershwin wrote musicals, songs, piano and orchestral pieces. Most of the lyrics of Gershwin's songs were written by his brother Ira. When Gershwin died, his brother struggled both emotionally and creatively. He would later on release some of Gershwin's unpublished works and write lyrics to Gershwin's compositions which was included in the films "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim" (1947) and "Kiss Me, Stupid" (1964).
Influence:
When Gershwin was 11, his parents bought a used upright piano for his brother Ira. Shortly after, Gershwin surprised everyone by playing a piece he self-studied on the piano. Gershwin began piano instruction under Charles Hambitzer who was so impressed with the young Gershwin's talent that he refused payment. He also studied under composers, namely Wallingford Riegger, Henry Cowell, Edward Kileny and under music theorist Joseph Schillinger. Gershwin was also influenced by the works of Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern.
Discography/Notable Works:
"When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em (When You've Got 'Em You Don't Want 'Em)" (first published song), "Rialto Ripples" (first composition for solo piano), "Swanee" (1919 in the musical Sinbad), "La La Lucille" (1919, musical, composed entire score), "Lullaby for string quartet" and "Rhapsody in Blue." Songs such as "Bidin' My Time," "But Not for Me," "Do, Do, Do," "Embraceable You," "Fascinating Rhythm," "I've Got a Crush on You" and "Isn't It a Pity."
Other Compositions:"I Got Rhythm," "Of Thee I Sing" (1931, won a Pulitzer Prize), "Oh, Lady Be Good," "'S Wonderful," "Someone to Watch over Me," "Strike Up the Band," "Sweet and Low-Down" and "The Man I Love." Songs for movies such as "A Foggy Day," "Love Walked In," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Love Is Here to Stay." "Nice Work if You Can Get It," "They All Laughed" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Orchestral works such as "Concerto in F" (1925), "An American in Paris" (1928) and "Cuban Overture" (1932).
Interesting Facts:
At 15 he dropped out of school and worked as a song plugger for 3 years. Other jobs he held include playing in New York nightclubs, an accompanist and rehearsal pianist for Broadway musicals. "Porgy and Bess" premiered in 1935 with mixed reactions but is now considered one of Gershwin's greatest works. It was later performed at La Scala, Milan, making it the first opera by an American composer to be performed there. Gershwin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. In his spare time, Gershwin is said to play tennis with Arnold Schoenberg.
Rhapsody in Blue was commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, and the composition was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé several times
Similar to Rhapsody in Blue------An American in Paris
The impactive success of the Rhapsody in Blue catapulted Gershwin into a totally new status. He was acknowledged everywhere as a major figure in American music and in asserting an American influence in Europe.
He began visiting London and Paris, and in the French capital he applied to Ravel, who had given lessons in orchestration to several respected composers but who said to Gershwin, "Why would you want to risk being a second-rate Ravel when you are already a first-rate Gershwin?"
Gershwin made his first trip to Paris just after the premiere of the Rhapsody in Blue. Two years later (1926), when he was in England for the London and Liverpool openings of his musical comedy Lady, Be Good, he took a few days to visit Paris again, and the idea came to him of composing an orchestral work describing his impressions of that city.
It was two years after that before he got round to serious work on the piece, to which he gave the title An American in Paris. Following another London opening in the spring of that year, Gershwin went to Paris for a longer visit.
In an interview published in the August 18, 1928, issue of Musical America made this statement on the work:
"This new piece, really a rhapsodic ballet, is written very freely and is the most modern music I've yet attempted. The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six, though all the themes are original. My purpose is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris, as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.
As in my other orchestral compositions, I've not endeavored to represent any definite scenes in this music. The rhapsody is programmatic only in a general impressionistic way . . .
The opening gay section is followed by a rich blues with a strong rhythmic undercurrent. Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a café and having a couple of drinks, has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness. The harmony here is both more intense and simpler than in the preceding pages. This blues rises to a climax, followed by a coda in which the spirit of the music returns to the vivacity and bubbling exuberance of the opening part with its impression of Paris. Apparently the homesick American, having left the café and reached the open air, has disowned his spell of the blues and once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life. At the conclusion, the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."
Awards, Honors and Commemorations:
He began visiting London and Paris, and in the French capital he applied to Ravel, who had given lessons in orchestration to several respected composers but who said to Gershwin, "Why would you want to risk being a second-rate Ravel when you are already a first-rate Gershwin?"
Gershwin made his first trip to Paris just after the premiere of the Rhapsody in Blue. Two years later (1926), when he was in England for the London and Liverpool openings of his musical comedy Lady, Be Good, he took a few days to visit Paris again, and the idea came to him of composing an orchestral work describing his impressions of that city.
It was two years after that before he got round to serious work on the piece, to which he gave the title An American in Paris. Following another London opening in the spring of that year, Gershwin went to Paris for a longer visit.
In an interview published in the August 18, 1928, issue of Musical America made this statement on the work:
"This new piece, really a rhapsodic ballet, is written very freely and is the most modern music I've yet attempted. The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six, though all the themes are original. My purpose is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris, as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.
As in my other orchestral compositions, I've not endeavored to represent any definite scenes in this music. The rhapsody is programmatic only in a general impressionistic way . . .
The opening gay section is followed by a rich blues with a strong rhythmic undercurrent. Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a café and having a couple of drinks, has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness. The harmony here is both more intense and simpler than in the preceding pages. This blues rises to a climax, followed by a coda in which the spirit of the music returns to the vivacity and bubbling exuberance of the opening part with its impression of Paris. Apparently the homesick American, having left the café and reached the open air, has disowned his spell of the blues and once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life. At the conclusion, the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."
Awards, Honors and Commemorations:
- 1985-The Congressional Gold Medal
- A special Pulitzer Prize was posthumously awarded to Gershwin in 1998 "commemorating the centennial year of his birth, for his distinguished and enduring contributions to American music."
- The George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Musical Achievement Award was established by UCLA to honor the brothers for their contribution to music and for their gift to UCLA of the fight song "Strike Up the Band for UCLA".
- George Gershwin was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
- The Gershwin Theatre on Broadway.
- The Gershwin Hotel in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City.
- George Gershwin Junior High School 166 is named after him.
"Center for Jazz Arts | Classical Arts." Center for Jazz Arts | Classical Arts. Facebook, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.
"George Gershwin About the Composer." American Masters. PBS, 07 June 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Estrella, Espie. "Profile of George Gershwin." About.com Music Education. About.com, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"Facts about Gershwin." Facts about GERSHWIN ***. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"George Gershwin - "An American in Paris"" YouTube. YouTube, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"An American in Paris." The Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"George Gershwin About the Composer." American Masters. PBS, 07 June 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Estrella, Espie. "Profile of George Gershwin." About.com Music Education. About.com, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"Facts about Gershwin." Facts about GERSHWIN ***. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"George Gershwin - "An American in Paris"" YouTube. YouTube, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
"An American in Paris." The Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.