Collection: GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898 – 1937)
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, Gershwin's initial interest in music was sparked relatively late, around age 10, when a piano was purchased for his older brother, Ira. George quickly commandeered the instrument, displaying a remarkable natural aptitude. He took lessons from various teachers, most significantly Charles Hambitzer, who recognized his prodigious talent, and later studied theory and composition more formally, though he largely remained driven by intuition and practical experience.
His professional career began at age 15 when he dropped out of high school to become a "song plugger" for Jerome H. Remick and Company, a music publisher in Tin Pan Alley. Here, he demonstrated and promoted new songs, honing his pianistic skills and absorbing the craft of popular songwriting. He soon began publishing his own songs, achieving his first major national hit in 1919 with "Swanee," popularized by singer Al Jolson.
This success propelled Gershwin into the world of Broadway musical theatre. He began a legendary collaboration with his older brother, Ira Gershwin, whose witty and sophisticated lyrics perfectly complemented George's infectious melodies. Together, they produced a string of hit musicals throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, including Lady, Be Good! (1924), Oh, Kay! (1926), Funny Face (1927), Strike Up the Band (1927/1930), Girl Crazy (1930), and the Pulitzer Prize-winning political satire Of Thee I Sing (1931). These shows yielded dozens of enduring standards that became integral to the Great American Songbook, such as "Fascinating Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "'S Wonderful," "Embraceable You," and the high-energy "I Got Rhythm."
While conquering Broadway, Gershwin harbored ambitions to write more "serious" concert music that incorporated American jazz and blues idioms. His breakthrough came in 1924 when bandleader Paul Whiteman commissioned him to write a piece for his "An Experiment in Modern Music" concert. Composed quickly, the result was Rhapsody in Blue, a dazzling work for piano and jazz band (later orchestrated for full symphony orchestra, primarily by Ferde Grofé). Premiered at Aeolian Hall with Gershwin himself at the piano, its electrifying blend of jazz rhythms, bluesy melodies, and Lisztian piano virtuosity was a sensation, instantly establishing Gershwin as a major figure capable of straddling both popular and classical worlds.
He followed this success with other ambitious concert works: the Piano Concerto in F (1925), commissioned by Walter Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra, which displayed a more traditional concerto structure while retaining his signature jazz-inflected style; and An American in Paris (1928), a vibrant orchestral tone poem inspired by his visits to Europe, famously incorporating Parisian taxi horns into the score.
Gershwin reached the pinnacle of his compositional ambition with his opera Porgy and Bess (1935). Based on the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, with lyrics by Heyward and Ira Gershwin, this "American folk opera" depicted the lives of African Americans in the fictional Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina. Gershwin meticulously researched Gullah spirituals and folk music to create a score rich in blues, jazz, and spiritual idioms, containing now-famous numbers like "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now." Though its initial reception was mixed, Porgy and Bess is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American operas.
In 1936, George and Ira moved to Hollywood to write music for films, contributing memorable songs to movies like Shall We Dance (featuring "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me") and A Damsel in Distress. Tragically, while working on The Goldwyn Follies, George began experiencing debilitating headaches and coordination problems. He was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and died following surgery on July 11, 1937, at the age of just 38.
George Gershwin's legacy is immense. He brought an unprecedented level of sophistication and artistry to popular song while simultaneously enriching concert music with the vitality and distinctiveness of American popular idioms, creating a body of work that continues to captivate and define the American musical spirit.
