Russian parents

1
GEORGE GERSHWIN

• Russian parents
• born in Brooklyn Sept. 26, 1898
• Jacob Gershvin
• remembers listening to Rubensteins Melody in F
  (1904)
  
• first piano in 1910 for Ira
• pupil of Charles Hambitzer
• attended concerts
• dropped out of high school
• worked for Jerome H. Remick Co. on Tin Pan
  Alley for 15 per week

2
GEORGE GERSHWIN

• Remick hired Gershwin as a song plugger
• George sang and played the firms songs for
  customers
  
• first piano rolls in 1915 and more than 100 by
  1926
  
• Swanee - played by Gershwin in 1920
• began to compose on his own with no
  encouragement
  
• moved from Tin Pan Alley to the Broadway stage

3
GEORGE GERSHWIN Broadway to Rhapsody in Blue

• Left Remick Co. in 1917
• rehearsal pianist for Miss 1917 (Kern and
  Herbert)
  
• stayed at Century Theater as organizer and
  accompanist for concerts
  
• 1918 offered 35 per week by Harms Publishing for
  the right to publish any songs he might compose
  in the future
  
• by the end of 1918 he had songs in 3 Broadway
  shows
  
• first full Broadway score, La La Lucille opened
  in 1919 and was given 104 performances

4
GEORGE GERSHWIN Broadway to Rhapsody in Blue

• 1919-20 Lullaby for string quartet first
  classical piece
  
• 1920 - Swanee recorded by Al Jolson became his
  first hit song - more than 10,000 in royalties
  that year
  
• 1920-1924 - composed music for George Whites
  Scandals
  
• 1922 - second classical piece Blue Monday
  (opera) included in Scandals of 1922
  
• 1921-1924 wrote A Dangerous Maid, Our Nell,
  Sweet Little Devil, The Rainbow, Primrose, Lady,
  be Good
  
• 1924 - was famous because of Rhapsody in Blue

5
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

• Concert organized by Paul Whiteman
• Aeolian Hall, NYC, Febr. 12, 1924
• An Experiment in Modern Music
• intended to show that jazz, considered to be
  slapdash, was improved with the symphonic
  arrangements which were the specialty of
  Whitemans band
• Questions about American music
• Rhapsody won audience approval
• Gershwin became famous overnight
• an historical figure - he brought jazz into the
  concert hall

6
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

• Aeolian Hall concert divided into several
  sections
  
• TRUE FORM OF JAZZ
• Livery Stable Blues (Nick La Rocca)
• Mama Loves Papa (Abel Baer)
• COMEDY SELECTIONS
• Yes, We Have No Bananas and
• So This is Venice (Frank Silver - Theodore
  Thomas)
  
• CONTRAST - LEGITIMATE SCORING VS. JAZZING
• Whispering (John Schoenberger)
• RECENT COMPOSITIONS WITH MODERN SCORE
• Limehouse Blues (Philip Braham)
• Linger Awhile (Benson Rose)
• Raggedy Ann (Jerome Kern)

7
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

• THE CONCERT CONTINUES
• ZEZ CONFREY (PIANO)
• Kitten on the Keys (Zez Confrey)
• Three Little Oddities (Zez Confrey)
• Romanza, Impromptu, Novelette
• Nickel in the Slot (Zez Confrey)
• IRVING BERLIN MEDLEY
• Orange Blossoms in California
• A Pretty Girl is like a Melody
• Alexanders Ragtime Band
• IN THE FIELD OF CLASSICS
• Pomp and Circumstance (Sir Edward Elgar)

8
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

• THERES MORE TO COME!
• FLAVORING A SELECTION WITH BORROWED THEMES
• Russian Rose (Ferde Grofe/Peter DeRose)
• ADAPTIONS OF STANDARD SELECTIONS TO DANCE RHYTHM
• Pale Moon, An Indian Love Song (Frederick Knight
  Logan)
  
• To a Wild Rose (Edward MacDowell)
• Chansonette (Rudolf Frimil)
• A SUITE OF SERENADES (all by Victor Herbert)
• Spanish Serenade
• Chinese Serenade
• Cuban Serenade
• Oriental Serenade

9
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

• FINALLY! (MusicMasters MMD 60113T)
• RHAPSODY IN BLUE (George Gershwin)
• sources of original parts
• Whiteman Archive at Williams College
• Gershwins pencil 2-piano score for Grofe - LC
• Grofes orig. piano and orch score
• 6/10/24 recording of G w/W
• GEORGE GERSHWIN (piano) A Rhapsody in Blue -
  Accompanied by the Orchestra
  
• Clarinetist Ross Gorman did gliss
• Victor Herbert said I wish I had written that

10
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

• Within a year three different American composers
  created their own piano-jazz concerti
  
• Copland Concerto No. 1
• Antheil Jazz Symphony
• James P. Johnson Yamekraw A Rhapsody in Black
  and White (scored by WGS)
  
• 1924 - 1934 received more than 250,000 from
  performances, recordings and rental fees of
  Rhapsody

11
GEORGE GERSHWIN Years of Celebrity and
Expansion

• Began collecting works of art
• Picasso,Modigliani, Utrillo
• Became a painter
• 1937 - exhibit in NYC
• Continued to compose (10 full scores between
  1926-1935)
  
• studied with
• Rubin Goldmark
• Wallingford Riegger
• Henry Cowell

12
GEORGE GERSHWIN Years of Celebrity and
Expansion

• 1925 composed Concerto in F for Piano and
  Orchestra (comm. Damrosch)
  
• 1928 composed An American in Paris
• 1929contracted to compose a Jewish opera by
  the Met.(not fulfilled)

13
GEORGE GERSHWIN Years of Celebrity and
Expansion

• An established composer
• 1927 Strike Up the Band
• 1930 Girl Crazy
• 1931 Of Thee I Sing
• 1934-5 Radio program Music by Gershwin
• Signature
• Of Thee I Sing Overture
• The Man I Love
• I Got Rhythm
• Commercial
• Swanee Sign-Off
• 1937 Shall We Dance

14
GEORGE GERSHWIN Years of Celebrity and
Expansion

• 1932 - Cuban Overture
• 1934 - variations on I Got Rhythm

15
George Gershwins PORGY AND BESS

• Opened in Boston - Sept. 30, 1935
• Ran 16 weeks in NYC
• on the road for 3 months
• revived in 1938, 1942 in commercial theaters
• Copenhagen in 1943
• Europe with an all-black cast in 1952 and the
  U.S. in 1952-53
  
• Russia 1955

16
George Gershwins PORGY AND BESS

• In rehearsal July 19, 1935
• Introduction Summertime - sung by Abbie
  Mitchell
  
• A Woman is a Sometime Thing - sung by Edward
  Matthews
  
• Act I, Scene 1 Finale
• My Mans Gone Now - sung by Ruby Elzy
• Bess, You Is My Woman Now - sung by Todd Duncan
  and Anne Brown
  

17
Various Works by Gershwin

• An American in Paris
• Blue Monday
• Concerto in F
• Cuban Overture
• A Damsel in Distress
• Film Music
• The George Gershwin Songbook
• Girl Crazy
• I Got Rhythm Variations
• Letem Eat Cake
• Lullaby for String Quartet
• Music of Gershwin
• Of Thee I Sing
• Oh Kay!
• Overtures

• Pardon My English
• Piano Music
• Porgy and Bess
• Preludes
• Promenade
• Rhapsody in Blue
• Rialto Ripples
• Second Rhapsody
• Skys the Limit
• Songs
• Strike Up the Band
• Ten London Solos for Piano
• Three-Quarter Blues for Piano
• Who Cares?