American composer and songwriter, as well as pianist and conductor, George Gershwin was a sensitive and passionate musician, who synthesized his musical creations between jazz and classical traditions. He is famous for the sophistication, swing and rhythm in his music.
George Gershwin Background
He was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 26, 1898. As one of America’s greatest songwriters, George Gershwin was part of the golden age of the New York musical theatre in the 1920s and 30s. Essentially self-taught, he started as a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley and an accompanist. Perhaps not known to many, Gershwin also painted as a hobby.
Jazz as a Springboard
With his love for jazz, his songwriting talent, and knowledge of established forms in concerto and opera, he began to compose songs and produced succession of musicals from 1919 to 1933, with his first show La Lucille, the song “Swanee” was made a hit by Al Jolson, on of the top singer during that time.
Classical Music and Musicals
His concert works include the tone poems Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928). He composed other popular musicals and songs, many with lyrics by his brother Ira Gershwin, including "I Got Rhythm," "’S Wonderful," and "Embraceable You."
The success of Rhapsody in Blue led him to devote more to “serious” composition, resulting with The Piano Concerto in F (1925) and An American in Paris (1928.) About this time, Gershwin met Igor Stravinsky, Sergey Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel in Paris.
Theatre and Broadway Hits
He continued composing for the musical theatre, his music becoming some of the most successful in Broadway including Strike up the Band, Funny Face, Girl Crazy, and Of Thee I Sing with lyrics by Ira, his talented lyricist brother. Of Thee I Sing became the first stage musical to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1932. Unfortunately, George Gershwin was not included in the citation since his was a musical contribution and was not considered eligible for the literary-oriented Pulitzer award.
Final Years
His “American folk opera” Porgy and Bess (1935) incorporated jazz rhythms and popular song styles in an operatic format. In 1936, Gershwin went to Hollywood where his talent was much acknowledged. He wrote numerous songs for films. He was working on music for The Goldwyn Follies when stricken with a brain tumor that took his life on July 11, 1937, before reaching his 39th birthday.
Sources:
Kennedy, Michael, editor. The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd Edition. Oxford: OUP, 1994
Latham, Alison, editor. The Oxford Companion to Music, Oxford: OUP, 2002
Sadie, Stanley, editor. The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. London: Macmillan Press, 1994
Wade-Matthews, Max & Wendy Thompson. The Encyclopedia of Music. Hermes House, 2002
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