George Gershwin

Born 26 September 1898, Brooklyn.
Died 11 July 1937, Beverly Hills.

Gershwin's is a great American success story. Born of immigrant parents in Brooklyn, his talent as a songwriter and jazz pianist became clear in his teens; in his 20s he was leading a fast-and-rich lifestyle that included wealth, recognition, and foreign travel—along with a prodigious workload.

With his brother Ira Gershwin (1896-1964) as his principal lyricist, George Gershwin wrote popular Broadway musicals, movie scores, and the hit single "Swanee," which sold over two million records and lots of sheet music. Prompted in part by Paul Whiteman and his jazz orchestra—but also by intense inner determination—he struggled to frame his jazz idiom in European classical forms, as if to ratify its international merit. The result was his three big pieces for the concert hall, listed below. (The famous clarinet glissando at the beginning of Rhapsody in Blue was contributed by one of the bandsmen.) More important still is Gershwin's wonderful opera Porgy and Bess, set in shanties along the South Carolina coast and with an all-black cast. All his work revolves around song-tunes and the piano improvisation at which he excelled.

He died at the age of 38 during surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Orchestra
Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
Piano Concerto (1925)
An American in Paris (1928)

Opera
Porgy and Bess (1935)
    "Summertime"

Musicals
Lady Be Good (1924)
Strike Up the Band (1927)
Of Thee I Sing (1931)

Songs
"Swanee" (1921)