Gershwin G
Name: George Gershwin
Achievements: A key figure in the modernization of the American popular song and the development of “swing.”
Born: September 26, 1898; Brooklyn, New York
Died: June 11, 1937; Hollywood, California
Field & Discipline: Art; Music; Composer
Language: English
Father: Morris Gershovitz
Mother: Rose Bruskin Gershovitz
Siblings: Ira; Arthur; Frances
Spouse: None
Children: None
Education: High School of Commerce
Major Work:
“Swanee” (1919)
“Rhapsody in Blue” (1924)
“Concerto in F” (1925)
“An American in Paris” (1928)
“Second Rhapsody” (1932)
“Cuban Overture” (1932)
“Porgy and Bess” (1935)
Life & Times:
George Gershwin was born Jacob Gershvin on 26th September, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, the third of four children to recent immigrant parents. As an in-demand leather worker, Morris Gershovitz was able to keep his family well provided for, though they did move frequently around New York City to be near his work.
As a young boy, George showed little interest in school and spent most of his time out on the streets playing with his friends. He did, however, show an interest in music from an early age, captivated, first, by a penny arcade rendition of Rubenstein’s Melody in F. Shortly after that he discovered the world of jazz while roller skating through Harlem and would often return to that neighborhood just to listen to the music.
It wasn’t until he was ten, however, that he became seriously interested in learning about and playing music. While playing ball in the schoolyard one day he overheard a fellow student’s recital of Dvorak’s Humoresque on the violin and decided then and there to become the friend of this budding musician, the future concert performer Max Rosen. Max introduced George to the wide range of classical music by playing the works of famous composers for him on his violin. It was only when Max told George some months later that George had no musical talent that their friendship faded.
In the meantime, however, George had discovered a neighbor who owned a piano, and he spent many hours teaching himself to play and compose.
One day, to his surprise, a piano was delivered to his home. It had been intended for his brother, [brother was] Ira Gershwin*, but as soon as George saw it he sat down and began to play with real enthusiasm. His brother was just as happy to return to his other studies and his parents were happy to see George so involved with something other than playing in the streets.
Soon afterwards, George began to study piano formally with Charles Hambitzer, who taught him the skills needed to be a pianist as well as the rudiments of composition. He also attended as many concerts as he could and kept a scrapbook of the programs and portraits of the performers and composers he listened to.
He proved such an adept piano student that by the age of fifteen he started working as a pianist for Remick Music Company, demonstrating music to prospective buyers of songs for the stage. He published his first song in 1918 and wrote his first complete musical-comedy score in 1919. That same year he wrote the song “Swanee” which became a huge success and sold millions of sheet music copies as well as records, due in large part to the fact that the famous singer [song sung by] Jolson* made it a cornerstone of his own performances.
Gershwin continued to write many successful songs and entire show scores, but he had his greatest breakthrough in 1923 when the band leader [work commissioned by] Whiteman* commissioned a lengthy jazz piece from Gershwin. That piece turned out to be “Rhapsody in Blue”, which was instantly hailed as a triumph.
The Rhapsody was - and is - one of the most famous pieces of serious music ever written by an American. It is known for being “dramatic, emotional, lyric” as well as “full of enthusiasm and spontaneity.” It is probably those qualities that have kept Gershwin’s music fresh all these years and also what makes his music so American. But this was only the beginning of a prolific period of composing and performing, both of popular songs and classical pieces.
With help from his brother, Ira, who wrote many of the lyrics to George’s music, in the next few years he composed the scores for a series of Broadway hits such as Funny Face (1927), Strike Up The Band (1929), and Girl Crazy (1930). The following year he won the Pulitzer Prize for the political satire Of Thee I Sing.
During this time he also wrote more serious, though equally popular, music such as Concerto in F (1925), An American in Paris (1928), and Cuban Overture (1932). He also took up painting during this time and his paintings demonstrate a nearly equal mastery of that medium.
Gershwin’s masterwork, however, was the opera Porgy and Bess (1935). It took him twenty months of concentrated effort to complete the opera. He spent part of that time in Charleston, South Carolina absorbing as much of the local African-American culture as he could. To his dismay, the opera only received lukewarm response upon its premiere, but over time it has become part of the standard repertoire of many opera companies around the world. Some of the songs in the opera became popular in themselves, such as “Summertime,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” and “I Got Plenty O’ Nuthin.”
Shortly after the premiere, George and Ira moved to Hollywood to write for the movies. There George composed the scores for two movies starring Fred Astaire; Shall We Dance and A Damsel in Distress. It was while he was working on the music for The Goldwyn Follies that he began to complain of headaches. A few weeks later he suddenly collapsed into a coma. Only then did doctors discover that he was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. He died a few days later.
Due to the vitality and originality of his music, his fame continued to grow and spread around the world, and his works remain popular even today. He is regarded by many as the direct inspiration for the big band era, since many of the leaders of those bands - Benny Goodman, the Dorsey brothers, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller - started their careers playing his music.
Extra Connections: [music sung by] Ella Fitzgerald* sang his songs.
He met Sir [met] William Walton*
He knew French composer knew]Ravel*
Assessment: A major force in the evolution of American popular and classical music.
Oneliner: George Gershwin, modern American popular and classical composer
Bibliography:
- Jablonski, Edward. Gershwin: A Biography, Illustrated. Doubleday, New York. 1987. 436pp.
- Venezia, Mike. George Gershwin. Children’s Press, Chicago. 1994.