George Gershwin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Gershwin
George Gershwin photographed by Edward Steichen in 1927. This photo was said to be Ira's favorite [1]
Born	September 26, 1898 Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died	July 11, 1937 Hollywood, California, USA

George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer who wrote most of his vocal and theatrical works in collaboration with his elder brother lyricist Ira Gershwin. Although his younger sister Frances was the first in the family to make money from the familial musical talents, she married young, and became a housewife, at which time she gave up her own singing and dance career--settling into painting, a hobby of George's. George Gershwin composed both for Broadway and for the classical concert hall. He also wrote popular songs with success.

Many of his compositions have been used on television and in numerous films, and many became jazz standards; the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald recorded many of the Gershwins' songs on her 1959 Gershwin Songbook (arranged by Nelson Riddle), and the very greatest singers and musicians have recorded Gershwin songs, most notably John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Judy Garland, Nina Simone, John Fahey, and countless others.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Contributions to the 1920s 3 Musical style and influence 4 Recordings 5 Compositions 6 Media 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Biography

Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. His father, Morris (Moishe) Gershovitz, changed their family name to Gershwin sometime after immigrating from St. Petersburg, Russia. Gershwin's mother, Rosa Bruskin, also immigrated from Russia. She married Gershovitz four years later. There was a variation of surnames between the Gershwin children and their parents and this overflowed into almost every aspect of the Gershvins family's lives. George Gershwin was the second of four children. In 1910, the Gershowitzes had acquired a piano for Ira's music lessons, but younger brother George took over, since he was learning silently at his aunt's house. He tried out various piano teachers for two years, then was introduced to Charles Hambitzer by Jack Miller, the pianist in the Beethoven Symphony Orchestra. Hambitzer acted as George's mentor until Hambitzer's death in 1918. Hambitzer taught George conventional piano technique, introduced him to music of the European classical tradition, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts. (At home following such concerts, young George would attempt to reproduce at the piano the music he had heard). He later studied with classical composer Rubin Goldmark and avant-garde composer-theorist Henry Cowell.

His first job as a performer was as a piano pounder for Remick's, a publishing company on Tin Pan Alley. His 1917 novelty rag "Rialto Ripples" was a commercial success, and in 1919 he scored his first big national hit with his song "Swanee". 1916 was the year he started working for Aeolian Company and Standard Music Rolls in New York, recording and arranging piano rolls. He produced dozens if not hundreds of rolls under his own and assumed names (pseudonyms attributed to Gershwin include Fred Murtha and Bert Wynn.) He also recorded rolls of his own compositions for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano of M. Welte & Sons, Inc. of New York City, the inventor and first producer of reproducing pianos.

In 1924, George and Ira collaborated on a musical comedy, Lady Be Good which included such future standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "The Man I Love." This was followed by Oh, Kay! (1926); Funny Face in (1927); Strike Up the Band (1927 & 1930); Girl Crazy (1930), which introduced the standard "I Got Rhythm"; and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. "I Got Rhythm", in particular, became a Jazz Standard, and its chord progression has incredible significance in Jazz. These chord changes known as "Rhythm changes" have been frequently adopted in Jazz literature.

In 1924, Gershwin composed his first classical work, Rhapsody in Blue for orchestra and piano, which was arranged by Ferde Grofé and premièred with Paul Whiteman's concert band in New York. It proved to be his most popular work.

Gershwin stayed in Paris for a short period of time where he wrote An American in Paris. This work received mixed reviews. Eventually he found the music scene in Paris supercilious, and returned to America. Though he hugely admired the French style of music - and did until the day he died - Gershwin remained thoroughly American.

His most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess (1935). Called by Gershwin himself a "folk opera," the piece premiered in a Broadway theater and is now widely regarded as the most important American opera of the 20th century. Based on the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, the action takes place in a black neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina, and with the exception of several minor speaking roles, all of the characters are black. The music combines elements of popular music of the day, which was strongly influenced by black music, with techniques found in Western opera, such as recitative and leit motifs.

Early in 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches and a recurring impression that he was smelling burned rubber. Unbeknown to him, he had developed a brain tumor. It was in Hollywood, while working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies, that he collapsed and, on July 11, 1937, died following surgery for the tumor at the age of 38.

Gershwin had a 10-year affair with composer Kay Swift, and frequently consulted her about his music. Oh, Kay was named for her. Posthumously, Swift arranged some of his music, transcribed some of his recordings, and collaborated with Ira on several projects. Gershwin had also had an affair with Paulette Goddard.

Gershwin could be generous, warm, and a friend-in-need, but he could also be vain and more than a trifle egotistical. His friend and champion, the concert pianist Oscar Levant once asked him: "George, if you had it to do all over again, would you still fall in love with yourself?"

Gershwin died intestate, and all his property passed to his mother. He is interred at the Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. The Gershwin estate continues to bring in significant royalties from licensing the copyrights on Gershwin's work. The estate supported the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act because its 1923 cutoff date was shortly before Gershwin had begun to create his most popular works. The copyrights on those works expired in 2007 in the European Union and between 2019 and 2027 in the United States of America.

George Gershwin was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. There is also a theatre named after him called the George Gershwin Theatre where the Hit Broadway Musical Wicked is now playing.

[edit] Contributions to the 1920s

George Gershwin was responsible for a number of significant developments in the 1920s. He made countless contributions to the music world as well as the culture of the 1920s. In 1919, he wrote the hit song “Swanee.” This song was his first hit and helped him tremendously on the path to opportunity. In 1924, he and his lyricist brother Ira had their first major Broadway hit in Lady, Be Good, for which they wrote such famous tunes as Fascinating Rhythm and Oh, Lady Be Good! Also in 1924, Gershwin introduced his now famous Rhapsody in Blue. This work was recognized as “An Experiment in Modern Music.” With the Rhapsody, Gershwin became known as the man who brought Jazz into the concert hall and, along with bandleader Paul Whiteman "made a lady out of Jazz". Many more Broadway shows followed, including Tip-Toes (1925), Oh, Kay (1926), Funny Face (1928) and Girl Crazy (1930). He also wrote a number of classical works such as An American in Paris, the Concerto in F, Three Preludes, the Second Rhapsody, Lullaby and finally in 1935, his masterpiece, the opera Porgy and Bess. Although not initially well-received by critics, Porgy and Bess is now considered by many to be one of the finest operas of the 20th century.

[edit] Musical style and influence

Gershwin was influenced very much by French composers of the early twentieth century. Maurice Ravel was quite impressed with the Gershwin's abilities, commenting, "Personally I find jazz most interesting: the rhythms, the way the melodies are handled, the melodies themselves. I have heard of George Gershwin's works and I find them intriguing."^[1] The orchestrations in Gershwin's symphonic works often seem similar to those of Ravel; likewise, Ravel's two piano concertos evince an influence of Gershwin. He also asked Ravel for lessons; when Ravel heard how much Gershwin earned, he replied "How about you give me some lessons?" (some versions of this story feature Igor Stravinsky rather than Ravel as the composer; however Stravinsky himself confirmed that he originally heard the story from Ravel).^[2]

Gershwin's own Concerto in F was criticized as being strongly rooted in the work of Claude Debussy, more so than in the jazz style which was expected. The comparison didn't deter Gershwin from continuing to explore French styles. The title of An American in Paris reflects the very journey that he had consciously taken as a composer: "The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six, though the tunes are original." (Hyland 126)

Aside from the French influence, Gershwin was intrigued by the works of Alban Berg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud and Arnold Schoenberg. He also asked Schoenberg for composition lessons. Schoenberg refused, saying "I would only make you a bad Schoenberg, and you're such a good Gershwin already".^[3]

Russian Joseph Schillinger's influence as his teacher of composition (1932-1936) was substantial in providing him with a method to his composition. There has been some disagreement about the nature of Schillinger's influence on Gershwin. After the posthumous success of Porgy and Bess, Schillinger claimed he had a large and direct influence in overseeing the creation of the opera; Ira completely denied that his brother had any such assistance for this work. A third account of Gershwin's musical relationship with his teacher was written by Gershwin's close friend and another Schillinger student, Vernon Duke, in an article for the Musical Quarterly in 1947.^[4] "What was George's orchestration like in those pre-Schillinger days? Brilliant in spots, adequate in others, but on the whole top-heavy and with too much doubling and padding...George met Schillinger through Joseph Achron, the late composer and violinist, and apparently what he was then seeking was fresh vistas, which would enable him to write fresher songs. It was Schillinger's impression that Gershwin was at the end of his very short rope as a technician--not as a composer." Regarding Porgy, Duke wrote that "the tunes we all listened to around George's piano...were now clothed in appropriate orchestral garb and shone with a new and dazzling brilliance. The 'Schillinger slavery' brought an unexpected freedom to George's musical utterances." He mentions in the same article that "another Schillinger-inspired work...is the witty variations on I Got Rhythm for piano and orchestra, containing a number of devices recommended by Schillinger and deftly and ingeniously applied." Schillinger more or less influenced Gershwin's technique through over four years of study before he moved to California, starting with and including Cuban Overture.^[5][6]

What set Gershwin apart was his ability to manipulate forms of music into his own unique voice. He took the jazz he discovered on Tin Pan Alley into the mainstream by splicing its rhythms and tonality with that of the popular songs of his era.

George Gershwin's first published song was "When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em." It was published in 1916 when Gershwin was only 17 years old and earned him a sum total of $5.00.

In 2007, The Library of Congress named their Prize for Popular Song after him and his brother Ira. Recognizing the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture, the prize will be given annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. On March 1st, 2007, Paul Simon, one of America’s most respected songwriters and musicians, was announced to be the recipient of the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

[edit] Recordings

Many fans of George Gershwin have complained that he made so few recordings. His very first recording was his own Swanee with the Fred Van Eps Trio in 1919. The record is very heavy on the banjo playing of Van Eps, and the piano is only mildly discernible. The recording took place before Swanee became famous as an Al Jolson specialty in early 1920.

Gershwin did record an abridged version of Rhapsody in Blue with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1924, soon after the world premiere. The same orchestra made an electrical recording of the same abridged version for Victor in 1927. However, a dispute in the studio over interpretation angered Paul Whiteman and he left the proceedings. The conductor's baton was taken over by Nathanial Shilkret who was already present. Gershwin made a number of solo piano recordings of tunes from some of his musicals, some including the vocals of Fred and Adele Astaire, as well as his Three Preludes for piano. In 1929, Gershwin "supervised" the world premiere recording of An American in Paris with Nathaniel Shilkret and the Victor Symphony Orchestra (usually drawn from the Philadelphia Orchestra); Gershwin's role in the recording was rather limited, particularly because Shilkret was conducting and had his own ideas about the music. Then someone realized they had not hired anyone to play the brief celesta solo, so they asked Gershwin if he would or could play the instrument and he agreed. Gershwin can be heard, rather briefly, on the recording during the slow section.

Gershwin also appeared on various radio broadcasts, some of which have been preserved on transcription discs. In 1934, in an effort to earn money to finance his planned folk opera, he hosted his own radio program titled "Music by Gershwin" in which he presented his own work as well as the work of other composers. Airchecks from this and other radio broadcasts include his Variations on I Got Rhythm, portions of the Concerto in F and numerous songs from his musical comedies. He also recorded a run-through of his Second Rhapsody, conducting the orchestra and playing the piano solos. A similar thing happened with Porgy and Bess, when Gershwin played and sang a bit during the opening piano solo, then conducted (and even introduced) some of the soloists. RCA Victor asked him to supervise recordings of highlights from Porgy and Bess in 1935, which were the last recordings in which he participated.

In 1993, a collection of piano roll reproductions originally played in by Gershwin and mechanically reproduced by Frank Milne were published in CD form by Nonesuch Records. Titled "Gershwin Plays Gershwin: Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls" (ASIN: B000005J1I), this CD contains 12 tracks composed and performed by Gershwin. Due to the inability of player pianos of the specific time period to automatically play at the correct volume, this aspect of the recordings was faithfully engineered by "pianolist" Frank Milne.

[edit] Compositions

Classical

• Rhapsody in Blue (for piano and orchestra)
• Piano Concerto in F
• Second Rhapsody, originally titled Rhapsody in Rivets (for piano and orchestra)
• An American in Paris (for orchestra)
• Cuban Overture, originally titled Rumba(for orchestra)
• Three Preludes (for solo piano)
• Variations on "I Got Rhythm" (for piano and orchestra)
• Porgy and Bess
• Lullaby (for orchestra, originally composed as a string quartet)

For a more complete list:

• List of compositions by George Gershwin

[edit] Media

[edit] See also

• List of compositions by George Gershwin
• List of notable brain tumor patients

[edit] References

• Hyland, William G. George Gershwin : A New Biography Praeger Publishers (August 30, 2003) ISBN 0-275-98111-8
• Mawer, Deborah (Editor). Cross, Jonathan (Series Editor). The Cambridge Companion to Ravel (Cambridge Companions to Music) Cambridge University Press (August 24, 2000) ISBN 0-521-64856-4
• Pollack, Howard George Gershwin. His Life and Work University of California Press, 2006, ISBN-13 978-0-520-24864-9
• Jablonski, Edward Gershwin Doubleday (1987) ISBN 0-385-19431-5
• Rimler, Walter A Gershwin Companion Popular Culture (1991) ISBN 1-56075-019-7

[edit] External links

• George Gershwin: American Genius
• Official Site
• Classical.net Gershwin page
• Anecdotage: Gershwin Gershwin Anecdotes (with sources noted)
• GershwinFan.com - The Gershwin Educational Fanpage
• George Gershwin at the Internet Broadway Database
• George Gershwin at the Internet Movie Database
• Free Public Domain Scores by Gershwin at IMSLP

The World of Porgy and Bess

Book and play - Opera Creators: George Gershwin - Ira Gershwin - DuBose Heyward - Dorothy Heyward Media: Discography - Film adaptation Songs and adaptations: "Summertime" - "Catfish Row"