George Gershwin

George Gershwin (/ˈɡɜːrʃ.wɪn/; born Jacob Gershwine; Sept ember 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was
an American composer and pianist whose composit ions spanned popular, jazz and classical
genres. Among his best -known works are t he orchest ral composit ions Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
and An American in Paris (1928), t he songs "Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinat ing Rhyt hm" (1924),
t he jazz st andards "Embraceable You" (1928) and "I Got Rhyt hm" (1930), and t he opera Porgy and
Bess (1935), which included t he hit "Summert ime".
 George Gershwin

Gershwin in 1937 by Carl Van Vechten

Born Jacob Gershwine

Died July 11, 1937 (aged 38)

Resting place Westchester Hills Cemetery

Occupation Pianist • composer

Years active 1916–1937

Relatives Ira Gershwin (brother)

Arthur Gershwin (brother)

Frances Gershwin (sister)

Gershwin st udied piano under Charles Hambit zer and composit ion wit h Rubin Goldmark, Henry
Cowell, and Joseph Brody. He began his career as a song plugger but soon st art ed composing
Broadway t heat er works wit h his brot her Ira Gershwin and wit h Buddy DeSylva. He moved t o
Paris, int ending t o st udy wit h Nadia Boulanger, but she refused him, afraid t hat rigorous classical
st udy would ruin his jazz-influenced st yle; Maurice Ravel voiced similar object ions when Gershwin
inquired on st udying wit h him. He subsequent ly composed An American in Paris, ret urned t o New
York Cit y and wrot e Porgy and Bess wit h Ira and DuBose Heyward. Init ially a commercial failure, it
came t o be considered one of t he most import ant American operas of t he t went iet h cent ury
and an American cult ural classic.

Gershwin moved t o Hollywood and composed numerous film scores. He died in 1937 of a brain
t umor.[1] His composit ions have been adapt ed for use in film and t elevision, wit h many becoming
jazz st andards.

Biography

Ancestors

Gershwin was of Russian-Jewish ancest ry.[2] His grandfat her, Jakov Gershowit z, was born in
Odessa (modern Ukraine) and had served for 25 years as a mechanic for t he Imperial Russian
Army t o earn t he right of free t ravel and residence as a Jew, finally ret iring near Saint Pet ersburg.
His t eenage son Moishe, George's fat her, worked as a leat her cut t er for women's shoes. His
mot her, Roza Bruskina, was born in St . Pet ersburg, Russia.[3][4] Moishe met Roza in Vilnius where
her fat her worked as a furrier. She and her family moved t o New York because of increasing ant i-
Jewish sent iment in Russia, changing her first name t o Rose. Moishe, faced wit h compulsory
milit ary service if he remained in Russia, moved t o America as soon as he could afford t o. Once in
New York, he changed his first name t o Morris. Gershowit z lived wit h a mat ernal uncle in Brooklyn,
working as a foreman in a women's shoe fact ory. He married Rose on July 21, 1895, and
Gershowit z soon Anglicized his name t o Gershwine.[5][6][7] Their first child, Ira Gershwin, was born
on December 6, 1896, aft er which t he family moved int o a second-floor apart ment at 242
Snediker Avenue in t he East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Early life

George was born on Sept ember 26, 1898, in t he Snediker Avenue apart ment . His birt h cert ificat e
ident ifies him as Jacob Gershwine, wit h t he surname pronounced 'Gersh-vin' in t he Russian and
Yiddish immigrant communit y.[8][9] He was named aft er his grandfat her, and, cont rary t o t he
American pract ice, had no middle name. He soon became known as George,[10] and changed t he
spelling of his surname t o 'Gershwin' around t he t ime he became a professional musician; ot her
family members followed suit .[11] Aft er Ira and George, anot her boy, Art hur Gershwin (1900–
1981), and a girl, Frances Gershwin (1906–1999), were born int o t he family.
The family lived in many different residences, as t heir fat her changed dwellings wit h each new
ent erprise in which he became involved. They grew up most ly in t he Yiddish Theat er Dist rict .
George and Ira frequent ed t he local Yiddish t heat ers, wit h George occasionally appearing
onst age as an ext ra.[12][13][14]

George lived a boyhood not unusual in New York t enement s, which included running around wit h
his friends, roller-skat ing and misbehaving in t he st reet s. Unt il 1908, he cared not hing about
music. Then, as a t en-year-old, he was int rigued upon hearing his friend Maxie Rosenzweig's violin
recit al.[15] The sound, and t he way his friend played, capt ivat ed him. At about t he same t ime,
George's parent s had bought a piano for his older brot her Ira. To his parent s' surprise, t hough, and
t o Ira's relief, it was George who spent more t ime playing it as he cont inued t o enjoy it .[16]

Alt hough his younger sist er Frances was t he first in t he family t o make a living t hrough her
musical t alent s, she married young and devot ed herself t o being a mot her and housewife, t hus
precluding spending any serious t ime on musical endeavors. Having given up her performing
career, she set t led upon paint ing as a creat ive out let , which had also been a hobby George briefly
pursued. Art hur Gershwin followed in t he pat hs of George and Ira, also becoming a composer of
songs, musicals, and short various piano t eachers for about t wo years (circa 1911) before finally
being int roduced t o Charles Hambit zer by Jack Miller (circa 1913), t he pianist in t he Beet hoven
Symphony Orchest ra. Unt il his deat h in 1918, Hambit zer remained Gershwin's musical ment or,
t aught him convent ional piano t echnique, int roduced him t o music of t he European classical
t radit ion, and encouraged him t o at t end orchest ral concert s.[17]

Tin Pan Alley and Broadway, 1913–1923

In 1913, Gershwin left school at t he age of 15 t o work as a "song plugger" on New York Cit y's Tin
Pan Alley. He earned $15 a week from Jerome H. Remick and Company, a Det roit -based
publishing firm wit h a branch office in New York.

His first published song was "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You
Don't Want 'Em" in 1916. It earned t he 17-year-old 50 cent s.[18]

In 1916, Gershwin st art ed working for Aeolian Company and St andard Music Rolls in New York,
recording and arranging. He produced dozens, if not hundreds, of rolls under his own and assumed
names (pseudonyms at t ribut ed t o Gershwin include Fred Murt ha and Bert Wynn). He also
recorded rolls of his own composit ions for t he Duo-Art and Welt e-Mignon reproducing pianos. As
well as recording piano rolls, Gershwin made a brief foray int o vaudeville, accompanying bot h Nora
Bayes and Louise Dresser on t he piano.[19] His 1917 novelt y ragt ime, "Rialt o Ripples", was a
commercial success.[18]

In 1919 he scored his first big nat ional hit wit h his song "Swanee", wit h words by Irving Caesar. Al
Jolson, a Broadway st ar and former minst rel singer, heard Gershwin perform "Swanee" at a part y
and decided t o sing it in one of his shows.[18]

In t he lat e 1910s, Gershwin met songwrit er and music direct or William Daly. The t wo
collaborat ed on t he Broadway musicals Piccadilly to Broadway (1920) and For Goodness' Sake
(1922), and joint ly composed t he score for Our Nell (1923). This was t he beginning of a long
friendship. Daly was a frequent arranger, orchest rat or and conduct or of Gershwin's music, and
Gershwin periodically t urned t o him for musical advice.[20]

Musical, Europe and classical music, 1924–1928

George Gershwin, c. 1935.

In 1924, Gershwin composed his first major work, Rhapsody in Blue, for orchest ra and piano. It
was orchest rat ed by Ferde Grofé and premiered by Paul Whit eman's Concert Band, in New York.
It subsequent ly went on t o be his most popular work, and est ablished Gershwin's signat ure st yle
and genius in blending vast ly different musical st yles, including jazz and classical, in revolut ionary
ways.

Since t he early 1920s Gershwin had frequent ly worked wit h t he lyricist Buddy DeSylva. Toget her
t hey creat ed t he experiment al one-act jazz opera Blue Monday, set in Harlem. It is widely
regarded as a forerunner t o t he groundbreaking Porgy and Bess int roduced in 1935. In 1924,
George and Ira Gershwin collaborat ed on a st age musical comedy Lady Be Good, which included
such fut ure st andards as "Fascinat ing Rhyt hm" and "Oh, Lady Be Good!".[21] They followed t his
wit h Oh, Kay! (1926),[22] Funny Face (1927) and Strike Up the Band (1927 and 1930). Gershwin
allowed t he song, wit h a modified t it le, t o be used as a foot ball fight song, "St rike Up The Band
for UCLA".[23]

In t he mid-1920s, Gershwin st ayed in Paris for a short period, during which he applied t o st udy
composit ion wit h t he not ed Nadia Boulanger, who, along wit h several ot her prospect ive t ut ors
such as Maurice Ravel, t urned him down, afraid t hat rigorous classical st udy would ruin his jazz-
influenced st yle.[24] Maurice Ravel's reject ion let t er t o Gershwin t old him, "Why become a
second-rat e Ravel when you're already a first -rat e Gershwin?" While t here, Gershwin wrot e An
American in Paris. This work received mixed reviews upon it s first performance at Carnegie Hall
on December 13, 1928, but it quickly became part of t he st andard repert oire in Europe and t he
Unit ed St at es.[25]

New York, 1929–1935

In 1929, t he Gershwin brot hers creat ed Show Girl;[26] t he following year brought Girl Crazy,[27]
which int roduced t he st andards "Embraceable You", sung by Ginger Rogers, and "I Got Rhyt hm".
1931's Of Thee I Sing became t he first musical comedy t o win t he Pulit zer Prize for Drama; t he
winners were George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, and Ira Gershwin.[28]

Gershwin spent t he summer of 1934 on Folly Island in Sout h Carolina aft er he was invit ed t o visit
by t he aut hor of t he novel Porgy, DuBose Heyward. He was inspired t o writ e t he music t o his
opera Porgy and Bess while on t his working vacat ion.[29] Porgy and Bess was considered anot her
American classic by t he composer of Rhapsody in Blue — even if crit ics could not quit e figure
out how t o evaluat e it , or decide whet her it was opera or simply an ambit ious Broadway musical.
"It crossed t he barriers," per t heat er hist orian Robert Kimball. "It wasn't a musical work per se, and
it wasn't a drama per se – it elicit ed response from bot h music and drama crit ics. But t he work
has sort of always been out side cat egory."[30]
Last years, 1936–1937

Aft er t he commercial failure of Porgy and Bess, Gershwin moved t o Hollywood, California. In
1936, he was commissioned by RKO Pict ures t o writ e t he music for t he film Shall We Dance,
st arring Fred Ast aire and Ginger Rogers. Gershwin's ext ended score, which would marry ballet
wit h jazz in a new way, runs over an hour. It t ook Gershwin several mont hs t o compose and
orchest rat e.

Gershwin had a t en-year affair wit h composer Kay Swift , whom he frequent ly consult ed about his
music. The t wo never married, alt hough she event ually divorced her husband James Warburg in
order t o commit t o t he relat ionship. Swift 's granddaught er, Kat harine Weber, has suggest ed t hat
t he pair were not married because George's mot her Rose was "unhappy t hat Kay Swift wasn't
Jewish".[31] The Gershwins' 1926 musical Oh, Kay was named for her.[32] Aft er Gershwin's deat h,
Swift arranged some of his music, t ranscribed several of his recordings, and collaborat ed wit h his
brot her Ira on several project s.[33]

Illness and death

Early in 1937, Gershwin began t o complain of blinding headaches and a recurring impression t hat
he smelled burning rubber. On February 11, 1937, he performed his Piano Concert o in F in a special
concert of his music wit h t he San Francisco Symphony Orchest ra under t he direct ion of French
maest ro Pierre Mont eux.[34] Gershwin, normally a superb pianist in his own composit ions, suffered
coordinat ion problems and blackout s during t he performance. He was at t he t ime working on
ot her Hollywood film project s while living wit h Ira and his wife Leonore in t heir rent ed house in
Beverly Hills. Leonore Gershwin began t o be dist urbed by George's mood swings and his seeming
inabilit y t o eat wit hout spilling food at t he dinner t able. She suspect ed ment al illness and
insist ed he be moved out of t heir house t o lyricist Yip Harburg's empt y quart ers nearby, where he
was placed in t he care of his valet , Paul Mueller. The headaches and olfact ory hallucinat ions
cont inued.

On t he night of July 9, 1937, Gershwin collapsed in Harburg's house, where he had been working
on t he score of The Goldwyn Follies. He was rushed t o Cedars of Lebanon Hospit al in Los
Angeles,[35] and fell int o a coma. Only t hen did his doct ors come t o believe t hat he was suffering
from a brain t umor. Leonore called George's close friend Emil Mosbacher and explained t he dire
need t o find a neurosurgeon. Mosbacher immediat ely called pioneering neurosurgeon Harvey
Cushing in Bost on, who, ret ired for several years by t hen, recommended Dr. Walt er Dandy, who
was on a boat fishing in Chesapeake Bay wit h t he governor of Maryland. Mosbacher called t he
Whit e House and had a Coast Guard cut t er sent t o find t he governor's yacht and bring Dandy
quickly t o shore.[36] Mosbacher t hen chart ered a plane and flew Dandy t o Newark Airport , where
he was t o cat ch a plane t o Los Angeles;[37] by t hat t ime, Gershwin's condit ion was crit ical and t he
need for surgery was immediat e.[36] In t he early hours of July 11, 1937, doct ors at Cedars
removed a large brain t umor, believed t o have been a glioblast oma, but Gershwin died t hat
morning at t he age of 38.[38] The fact t hat he had suddenly collapsed and become comat ose
aft er he st ood up on July 9 has been int erpret ed as brain herniat ion wit h Duret haemorrhages.[38]

Gershwin's mausoleum in Westchester Hills Cemetery

Gershwin's friends and followers were shocked and devast at ed. John O'Hara remarked: "George
Gershwin died on July 11, 1937, but I don't have t o believe it if I don't want t o."[39] He was int erred
at West chest er Hills Cemet ery in Hast ings-on-Hudson, New York. A memorial concert was held
at t he Hollywood Bowl on Sept ember 8, 1937, at which Ot t o Klemperer conduct ed his own
orchest rat ion of t he second of Gershwin's Three Preludes.[40]

Musical style and influence

Recordings and film

Compositions

Orchest ral

Rhapsody in Blue for piano and orchest ra (1924)

An American in Paris for orchest ra (1928)

Dream Sequence/The Melting Pot for chorus and orchest ra (1931)

Second Rhapsody for piano and orchest ra (1931), originally t it led Rhapsody in Rivets

Cuban Overture for orchest ra (1932), originally ent it led Rumba

March from "Strike Up the Band" for orchest ra (1934)

Variations on "I Got Rhythm" for piano and orchest ra (1934)

Catfish Row for orchest ra (1936), a suit e based on music from Porgy and Bess

Shall We Dance (1937), a movie score feat ure-lengt h ballet

Solo piano

Three Preludes (1926)

George Gershwin's Song-book (1932), solo piano arrangement s of 18 songs

Operas

Blue Monday (1922), one-act opera

Porgy and Bess (1935) at t he Colonial Theat re in Bost on[55]

London musicals

Primrose (1924)

Broadway musicals

George White's Scandals (1920–1924), feat uring, at one point , t he 1922 one-act opera Blue
Monday

Lady, Be Good (1924)

Tip-Toes (1925)

Tell Me More! (1925)

Oh, Kay! (1926)

Strike Up the Band (1927)

Funny Face (1927)

Treasure Girl (1928)

Show Girl (1929)

Girl Crazy (1930)

Of Thee I Sing (1931)

Pardon My English (1933)

Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933)

My One and Only (1983), an original 1983 musical using previously writ t en Gershwin songs

Crazy for You (1992), a revised version of Girl Crazy

Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012), a musical wit h a score by George and Ira Gershwin

An American in Paris, a musical t hat ran on Broadway from April 2015 t o Oct ober 2016

Films for which Gershwin wrot e original scores

Delicious (1931), an early version of t he Second Rhapsody and one ot her musical sequence
was used in t his film, t he rest were reject ed by t he st udio

Shall We Dance (1937), original orchest ral score by Gershwin, no recordings available in modern
st ereo, some sect ions have never been recorded (Nominat ed- Academy Award for Best
Original Song: They Can't Take That Away from Me)

A Damsel in Distress (1937)

The Goldwyn Follies (1938), post humously released

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947), uses previously unpublished songs

Legacy

See also

References

External links
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