George Jacob Gershwin was an American composer and pianist whose work spanned both popular and classical genres. He established himself in the 1920s as one of the musical theater’s most talented and successful composers, and to this day, his name conjures memories and nostalgic dreams of the Jazz Age, the Roaring Twenties, flappers, and musicals tumbling from his creative, imaginative mind. Among his best known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924), An American in Paris (1928), as well as the opera Porgy and Bess (1935).
Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the second son of Russian-Jewish immigrants Rose and Morrish Gershwine. He was a natural talent, and although his family and friends were not musically inclined, Gershwin developed an early interest in music through his exposure to popular and classical compositions he heard at school and in penny arcades. His parents had bought a piano for lessons for his older brother Ira, but George surprised everyone with his fluid playing of a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano. He studied with the noted piano teacher Charles Hambitzer, who was so impressed with Gershwin’s potential that he refused payments for the lessons. In a letter to his sister, Hambitzer wrote, “I have a new pupil who will make his mark if anybody will. The boy is a genius.” While still in his teens, he began his stint as a “song plugger” in New York’s Tin Pan Alley. In 1916 he composed his first published song, “When You Want ‘Em You Can’t Get ‘Em,” as well as his first solo piano composition, “Rialto Ripples.” He began to attract the attention of some Broadway luminaries, and the operetta composer Sigmund Romberg included one of Gershwin’s songs in The Passing Show of 1916.
During the course of the next few years, he contributed songs to various Broadway shows and revues. From one of his projects, Blue Monday, he met bandleader Paul Whiteman, who shared his goal of bringing respectability to jazz music, which in 1922 was still regarded, as evidenced in a New York American editorial, as “degrading, pathological, nerve irritating, sex exciting music.” In late 1923 Whiteman asked Gershwin to compose a piece for an upcoming concert at New York’s Aeolian Concert Hall. It was then that he composed his infamous Rhapsody in Blue, and in its premiere, the piece was a resounding success and brought Gershwin worldwide fame. A decade after its composition, Gershwin debuted his most ambitious composition, “Porgy and Bess.” He fondly called it his “folk opera,” and it is considered to not only be one of his most complex and best known works, but also among the most important American music compositions of the 20th century.
In early 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headache and a recurring impression that he smelled burning rubber. His brother’s wife, Leonore Gershwin, began to be disturbed by his mood swings and inability to eat without spilling food at the dinner table. The headaches and olfactory hallucinations continued, and he was diagnosed with a large brain tumor, largely believed to be a glioblastoma. Doctors at Cedars rushed him into immediate surgery and attempted to remove it, but Gershwin died on the morning of July 11, 1937, at the age of 38.
Gershwin working on “Porgy and Bess”
some of his well known works:
Overall, this was a very interesting blog post, I just went and saw An American in Paris and learning about the composer has enriched the meaning behind the show for me. I liked how you focused on more of the Broadway aspect of 1920's music as opposed to the commonly focused on jazz section, it was quite refreshing. Finally, I found an article that describes the later work of Gershwin and how it changed in response to the economic condition of the country in the thirties. His work became satirical and politically based because of the Great Depression. Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-gershwin-mn0000197918/biography
Elise, I thoroughly enjoyed your post as it focuses on an aspect of life that was allowed to develop and be enjoyed by a wider range of people during the time. Similarly to what Alex mentioned and also what you discussed about in your post, the time period was marked with people seeking pleasure and enjoyment. In the greater scope of things, the values that people held during this time directly relate to people such as Gershwin because they were inspired by other musicians of the time, and were also able to gain popularity and make a living because people supported and actively had a demand for this. With this, I would like to propose the question: Is the development of the arts more correlated with economic and political prosperity, or evolving values that people hold?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Gershwin
Just like Alex, I also recently saw a production of An American Paris. Being educated on the composer from your post was not only perfect timing, but it was also very informative on the musical entertainment that regarded theatre. Flappers and jazz are typically associated with this time period, however taking the time to recognize the other musical ventures that were present was very interesting. I found an article that discusses more of his later work and certain partnerships he joined, though some were rather brief.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/george-gershwin-about-the-composer/65/